Schematic map labelled Koblenz, beside a tablet, safety helmet, pen and notebook.

Explosive ordnance surveys for construction projects in the SGD Nord area

A route may cross several municipalities; clients and planning consultancies must coordinate the explosive ordnance investigation with different specialist tasks. FONTANA-EOD supports preparation and the agreed investigation with clearly identified areas and intervention depths. Send us the site plan and existing documents so that investigation requirements and next steps can be defined.

Identify areas

Each intervention is clearly located on the site plan.

Clarify responsibilities

The project location and specialist question determine the appropriate contact.

Assign results

Investigated areas and outstanding questions remain distinguishable.

Assess the construction project

Connect the right contact with the specific task

For your project in the SGD Nord area, the location and specialist question are considered together. We relate the commissioned explosive ordnance investigation to the planned groundworks. Other specialist responsibilities remain separately identifiable; a shared overview connects the parties involved with their documents, work areas and outstanding decisions.

Project references

Selected project examples

Trier and other project locations

Wallenbachstraße Trier
Fußgängerzone Dudweiler
Wellritzstraße Wiesbaden
Panzweiler
Singhofen
Mainz Hbf
Senheim
Kurfürst-Schönborn-Straße 124
Wiltingen
Oberhausen
Bensheim
Darmstadt
Freinsheim
Wincheringen
Bahnhof Trier-Ehrang
Saarbrücken

Service period: 2024-06

Service areas:Surface surveys: GPR, TDEM and magnetometryMethod used in this project: Ground-penetrating radar

The services and quantities stated relate to several project locations and are not itemised separately for each site.

View project details

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map with coat of arms, beside a tablet, hard hat, pen and notebook.

Use the separate SGD Nord directories

SGD Nord publishes different regional allocations for trade supervision and for water management, waste management and soil protection. Enquiries therefore identify both the specialist task and the location. The hazard-prevention duties of the explosive ordnance service based at ADD remain separate. For your construction project, the private investigation task is described in terms of the specific interventions and existing knowledge. SGD Nord is a state authority in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. For the district of Bad Kreuznach, its directory names the Idar-Oberstein regional office for trade supervision, but Koblenz for water management, waste management and soil protection. For the district of Neuwied, Koblenz and Montabaur are named respectively. These examples show why an enquiry is always assigned according to the specialist task and actual project location.

Information on explosive ordnance surveying in Neuwied and Bad Kreuznach helps you prepare your project enquiry. The documents and proposed ground interventions on the particular property are decisive.

Local context

Assign specialist tasks to SGD Nord and the explosive ordnance clearance service

Distinguish the area of responsibility by specialist task

The area covered by SGD Nord includes Koblenz and Trier and the districts of Neuwied and Bad Kreuznach, among others. The authority also distinguishes between specialist tasks and regional offices. An allocation for trade supervision therefore cannot be transferred to water management or soil protection without checking.

Observe the role of the state explosive ordnance clearance service

The Rhineland-Palatinate state explosive ordnance clearance service is based at the Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion, ADD. According to its task description, it supports the competent authorities in preventing specific explosive ordnance hazards. A site's inclusion in the SGD Nord area does not in itself trigger either an investigation or explosive ordnance clearance certification.

Prepare several areas with their own tasks

Preventive planning brings together the actual knowledge available and the proposed earthworks. General contact with an authority does not replace a clearly described investigation commission. If you are preparing several areas at once, a shared overview helps coordination; assessment nevertheless remains specific to each location and intervention.

Trier is also in the SGD Nord area. The city commemorates the air raids of December 1944 and the severe damage in the city. Such documented historical circumstances provide a starting point for checking records for the specific property. Known changes due to reconstruction, new development or subsequent utility works are considered with their spatial reference. Current investigation needs are derived from the knowledge actually available and the proposed groundworks.

Working together

Allocate tasks within the construction project

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements relating to use, access and scheduling. The participants agree their respective tasks and decision-making responsibilities. A coordinating contact person brings the project information together. Before an appointment, it is recorded clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist company addresses the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective competent authorities. Documents required for a specific procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report describes the specialist service carried out with its spatial scope and limits of findings. Its applicability to further groundworks is checked against the specific intervention. Official decisions are made by the competent authorities.

The ADD describes the Rhineland-Palatinate explosive ordnance clearance service as supporting the locally responsible hazard-prevention authorities with specific explosive ordnance hazards. The responsible local regulatory authorities, or the police where delay would create danger, initiate official steps. General preventive investigations before construction, historical research and aerial photograph analyses are commissioned as private specialist services. Necessary official decisions on recovery, render-safe procedures or destruction remain with the competent authorities.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Describe the explosive ordnance question before choosing a method

Existing knowledge and the planned intervention determine what further findings are required. The appropriate investigation method is derived from this. An administrative allocation does not determine an equipment type. Accessibility, ground conditions and possible interference are examined for the specific area and related to the limits of the proposed service.

Choose investigation methods to suit the specific need

Address outstanding sections as a defined task

A section not yet investigated is described by its location and depth. Specialist planning compares existing knowledge and the conditions in that area. An investigation in an adjoining section cannot be transferred without checking. The supplementary commission therefore identifies the outstanding question and the result expected.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Coordinate a joint project with clearly defined specialist tasks

Illustration: two people with a tablet beside a drawing table and a survey trolley on a construction site.

Identify the subject of each enquiry

Describe which question needs clarification in which area. The project location alone is not always sufficient to select the specialist office. A specific task description helps make the correct allocation. It remains linked to the relevant plan so that different parties do not inadvertently consider different interventions under the same project name.

For a project spanning several municipalities, the affected land parcels and construction sections are compiled with their respective project addresses. Each requirement is linked to the relevant section and the question it answers. Different intervention depths may be relevant for a crossing, connection or new shaft than for the rest of the route. Joint planning brings these differences together transparently so that the specialist scope required for each area can be agreed.

Compare specialist services
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Record correspondence with its spatial reference

For each communication, record the issuing body, date and affected plan version. The specialist statement is assigned to the corresponding work area. This allows the project overview to bring together several responses. A statement on another specialist discipline is not treated as the result of an explosive ordnance investigation.

Keep complete letters and their appendices together. For an outstanding enquiry, describe the specific information needed for the next project decision. A revised drawing is clearly versioned. The specialists involved can then check whether a letter still concerns the same location and geometry or whether an intervention changed in the meantime needs to be considered. Responses are added to the project file with the relevant question and plan version used.

Document findings and their limitations
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Keep requirements for individual sections visible

A longer route may involve different areas and contacts. Identify the section to which a requirement applies and the next step associated with it. A shared project file helps organisation. However, specialist statements remain tied to their respective purpose and documented spatial scope.

The same spatial reference is also used in the service specification for contracts awarded by section. Identify investigation points, intervention depths and the expected evidence. Preparatory work, available access and known usage restrictions form part of the conditions offered. If these conditions subsequently change, the effect on the relevant specialist commission is agreed. Investigations already carried out remain documented with their actual service scope and can be specifically considered at the next coordination meeting.

Coordinate the sequence and tasks
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

Divide a project spanning several municipalities into clearly identified intervention areas. For each area, the enquiry includes location, depth, existing knowledge and the decision required. Document assessment, a technical field investigation and further clarification of an assessed finding are described as specific tasks. The quotation can assign the specialist work and result documents required to these areas. Specialist contacts and organisational subcontracts are thus related to a traceable investigation scope.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

For each investigation section, check what access, utility information and available work areas actually exist. Usable access at one location does not describe conditions in the next route section. Specialist planning determines the necessary preparatory work to suit the chosen method and agrees it with the respective responsible parties and trades. Changes to the surface or additional ground interventions are prepared separately, rather than carried out independently to arrange joint measurement appointments.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

The scope of private specialist work is agreed using the project documents, actual execution conditions and permissible activity. Necessary preparatory works, investigation, evaluation and documentation are described transparently. Costs and dates are related to these prerequisites and the required coordination. Changes to the construction plans are checked against the agreed contract before work is extended.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Prepare the construction project

Prepare a project spanning several areas

01

Separate sections on the plan

For a proposed pipeline, trench sections, crossings and connection pits may have different depths. Mark these areas individually. Areas needed temporarily also belong in the overview where ground interventions are involved. It must be possible to relate the subsequent investigation to this information.

Add work areas beside the future pipeline or excavation where preparatory ground interventions are proposed. These may include auxiliary pits, foundations or temporary connections. The investigation and protective measures required for these tasks are clarified before they are carried out. Outstanding construction alternatives are identified as such. Once their location and depth are established, the affected ground volume is compared with the knowledge available.

02

Locate reports spatially

A report on an adjoining section may provide indications but does not automatically cover the new construction area. Check the site plan, investigation objective, depth reference and stated limits. Missing appendices should be requested before assessment so that a short result statement does not lead to an excessively broad conclusion.

A results table is supplied together with its measurement and site plans. The elevation reference and ground surface used for the original findings remain traceable. If ground is later filled or excavated, this reference is important when comparing the findings with the current intervention. Known changes are reported to specialist planning. Missing or contradictory information is clarified as specific outstanding points before the report is used for a new construction task.

03

Bring responses together

Record the plan version to which a letter refers and which body issued it. A statement on water management or soil protection answers a different question from an explosive ordnance investigation. The documents are considered together while their statements remain separate.

04

Identify changes

If an excavation moves or a connection is added, mark the change against the plan previously examined. Only the comparison shows whether existing results remain suitable or further specialist clarification is required. A new plan version does not automatically mean repeating the entire investigation.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Preserve specialist responsibilities at handover

Pass on results with their complete appendices and the relevant contacts. Site management can then identify which body answered which question. Outstanding responses remain visible in the overview. A summary project status must not give the impression that all specialist tasks have already been completed by a single report.

Where several specialist companies are involved, their respective investigation limits are marked on the shared site plan. The results report and its plan appendices remain available together. Agreed recipients receive the areas addressed, relevant limitations and outstanding tasks with their respective status. After clearance work, the clearance record, stating its scope, results and remaining limits, is assigned to the area actually addressed and the associated plan appendices. Following an interruption, site management and specialist planning can use this to check which findings apply to the forthcoming work and where supplementary investigation or coordination is needed.

Compare new requirements with the intervention plan

When a supplementary communication arrives, check its relevance to the current groundworks. Possible changes are assigned to the specialists affected. Existing results are retained. Planning is updated according to the actual new content, rather than indiscriminately scheduling all tasks again or overlooking an additional requirement.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Bring tasks and participants together before investigation

Provide current plans, complete reports and relevant correspondence together. Identify the specialist offices already consulted. The commissioned explosive ordnance task is clearly defined within these documents. Required communications and specialist results thus remain distinguishable and can be specifically prepared before the affected groundworks.

Define the next step after receiving a response

Assign the new statement to the correct section and question. Then check which prerequisite is still missing for the next work. The overview continues to refer to the complete documents. Resolving an organisational enquiry is not equated with completing a technical investigation.

Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photographs and old records are compiled for each intervention area with their periods and spatial limits. A long project may involve differing photographic coverage or levels of knowledge. The analysis relates these sources to the current route or construction-area plan and prepares further investigation requirements. The absence of a recognisable indication remains distinguishable from a technically investigated ground area. Historical findings do not replace measurements of the present ground and do not automatically extend to every part of a shared project name.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

A magnetometry investigation is planned for the magnetic question in each intervention area. Utilities, fences, existing structures and other interference may cause different measurement conditions along a project. Expected objects, ground conditions and the required ground volume therefore help determine suitability and interpretation. Specialist assessment classifies anomalies and determines the further clarification required. Signal strength alone does not identify explosive ordnance, and an administrative boundary does not determine an investigation method. Magnetometry measures the magnetic field passively. The magnetic effect of the target object is decisive; electrical conductivity alone does not establish its detectability by this method.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic methods are adapted to metallic target objects and actual site conditions. Specialist assessment considers interfering installations, accessible measurement areas and the findings required for each section. Recorded data receive clear positional references and information on measurement conditions so that results from separate subcontracts can be brought together. Whether supplementation is needed depends on the outstanding investigation question. The availability of equipment or a shared authority contact alone does not establish a method's suitability. In transient electromagnetic methods, TDEM, the time-dependent electromagnetic response of conductive objects is evaluated. The method is selected according to the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar can provide suitable information about subsurface structures and reflections. Where several specialist tasks are involved, the commission must define the findings required for each ground volume. Ground conditions, moisture and installations limit interpretation and are documented with it. A report obtained for other planning purposes is checked for its suitability for the explosive ordnance question. An anomaly does not automatically establish explosive ordnance; an unremarkable section does not confirm arbitrary depths or additional project areas.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deep interventions, each area is assessed to establish what findings can be obtained from the surface and whether a deep-ground or borehole survey is required. Location, depths, layout and existing utilities are related to the specific construction geometry. Suitable preparation of investigation access also forms part of specialist planning and coordination with those responsible on site. A uniform grid or blanket depth figure does not replace this task. Results retain their actual spatial limits and relationship to the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a required advance investigation cannot be completed in a project section, a technically suitable approach during construction is considered for that area. Investigation, interpretation and communication of new findings are incorporated into its workflow. Merely observing excavation does not replace a required survey. The section handover records the knowledge actually achieved and what still needs clarification for the subsequent groundworks. Other locations retain their own processing status.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

The investigation is determined by the intervention

Derive a task from the documents

First, the knowledge available for the proposed subsurface area is examined. Historical records, existing investigation reports and the current construction plan answer different aspects of the question. The clearance plan describes, where required, the task, proposed approach and conditions under which results can be assessed. Where historical questions remain unanswered, a suitable specialist company carries out the research and aerial photograph analysis required and relates them to the present investigation area.

Consider measurement conditions on site

Utilities, metallic installations, landform or lack of access can affect interpretation. The suitability of surveying is therefore assessed for the specific area. A method suitable for an open section cannot be transferred to all remaining areas solely because they share the same project contract. Magnetometry records magnetic anomalies; active electromagnetic methods and ground-penetrating radar have different operating conditions. For ground-penetrating radar, propagation conditions in the ground are decisive. For deeper interventions, any required deep-ground or borehole survey is planned by specialists. Borehole clearance certification or the associated technical evidence remains assigned to the ground volume actually investigated and its documented scope.

Plan further work for outstanding areas

If a section is not yet accessible, that circumstance is documented. Whether another investigation or an explosive ordnance survey during construction is subsequently suitable requires specialist clarification. Merely observing earthworks is no substitute for a required technical investigation.

Next steps

Turn the overview into an enquiry that can be assessed

01

State the project status

State the location, plan version and next proposed ground intervention. Separate confirmed construction sections from areas whose planning remains open. At first contact, identify the explosive ordnance question to be clarified and the coordinating contact involved.

02

Attach existing documents

Provide location and depth information and complete reports with their appendices. Add correspondence containing requirements that may be relevant to the intervention. Documents are checked for currency, spatial reference, completeness and gaps. Where historical questions remain open, a suitable specialist company carries out the necessary research and aerial photograph analysis and relates them to the present interventions.

03

Agree the service scope

Specialist assessment clarifies investigation needs and existing limits. This allows the scope of a service offered to be described, including the access and preparatory work required. The investigation method is chosen according to the knowledge sought, intervention depth, ground structure, existing utilities, interfering objects and actual measurement conditions. The specialist commission, access, preparatory work and necessary protective measures are clarified with the responsible parties before the affected ground interventions.

04

Perform the agreed investigation

The agreed survey or proper specialist investigation accompanying construction is carried out within the permissible specialist commission on the coordinated areas and points. Survey data and observations receive a traceable spatial and elevation reference. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.

05

Assess survey data and findings

The collected data and findings are evaluated against the investigation objective. The technical assessment considers interference, the areas reached and remaining limits of the conclusions. It establishes which further investigation or work is needed for the planned groundworks.

06

Document assessment and scope

The report and plan appendices document the specialist work carried out, specialist assessment, areas addressed and respective limits of the findings. Positional, elevation and depth references are stated traceably. The documents identify which task is complete and which areas or further questions remain outstanding.

07

Give results to site management

Hand over the plans and reports for the section completed. Outstanding areas or later changes must remain identifiable in construction planning. The respective responsible parties use the complete documents to decide on additions or adjustments needed for the next specific ground intervention.

Documentation

What must be identifiable at a section handover

Findings and their scope

Useful documentation identifies the area actually investigated, elevation or depth reference, method used and limits of the findings. Site management can then compare results with the forthcoming intervention. A plan with clearly identified sections is more useful for this than a mere list of identical project names.

Project responsibilities

Assign local questions to the actual project location in Koblenz, Trier, Neuwied or Bad Kreuznach and describe the proposed intervention. Current investigation requirements arise from the knowledge available and the specific construction task. Statements about a property's ordnance contamination or absence of risk require their own specialist basis with a traceable spatial scope.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

FONTANA-EOD assigns the agreed specialist service to the specific locations and interventions. Before execution, existing sources, accessible areas and the results required are compared. Documentation shows the investigation actually performed in each area and the limits remaining. Changes to planning or local conditions are agreed with the commission before work is extended. A shared project overview connects these technical results with contacts and outstanding tasks in the disciplines involved.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

Method selection follows the specific explosive ordnance question and local measurement conditions. Assigning a municipality to an SGD regional office does not replace this specialist assessment. Nor does another specialist task or equipment already in use automatically determine the appropriate investigation method.

Keep limitations visible

A shared overview distinguishes areas addressed from those lacking access and findings subject to limitations. Limits are documented with the respective location and intervention. Further planning can therefore assign the specialist work still required and its prerequisites, rather than indiscriminately treating several areas as complete.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

If a route extends into another municipality or the depth of a section changes, the additional ground volume is compared with previous results before work proceeds. The location and specialist task are also updated for the coordination required. Usable older findings retain their documented limits.

Hand over the report and plan together

Handover connects reports and plan appendices with their respective subcontracts, positional references and processing status. Responsible contacts receive the sources required for their agreed task. A summary does not replace the complete result documents. If site management or specialist company changes, allocations, limitations and outstanding follow-up tasks remain traceable.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

A contact is associated with a specific specialist question

Different offices may be involved even within a single authority. Record the task to which a response relates and the plan it refers to. This allocation helps with subsequent enquiries. Simply knowing a contact replaces neither the specialist content of a statement nor a required investigation.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

An overview supports coordination between participants

It can bring together documents, contacts and outstanding decisions. Its entries remain linked to complete evidence. This enables joint coordination of different disciplines without mixing their findings. For specific groundworks, the prerequisites and results available for precisely that step are still checked.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Person with a yellow survey cart on a footpath in front of a hedge.
Questions from planning

Questions about planning in the SGD Nord area

Is SGD Nord the competent explosive ordnance clearance service?

No. The Rhineland-Palatinate state explosive ordnance clearance service is based at ADD. Which other specialist office is involved in your construction project depends on the location and task. SGD Nord publishes separate directories of responsibility by discipline.

Does an investigation report apply to the entire route?

Only to the extent that its documented scope actually covers the sections and intervention depths concerned. Check the attached plans and limitations. A shared project name is not evidence that all areas were included in the investigation.

Must all sections be investigated at the same time?

The schedule is agreed according to investigation needs, accessibility and construction planning. Later sections can be prepared separately. It must remain clear which results already exist and for which areas no suitable findings can yet be stated.

Which SGD Nord regional office should I contact?

Use the official directory for the specific specialist task. The areas of responsibility for trade supervision and for water management, waste management and soil protection are not identical throughout. For the explosive ordnance question, the allocation of ADD's tasks must also be observed.

What should be done if a suspicious object is found during work?

Stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch or move the object; leave the danger area, keep your distance and keep others away. Notify the police immediately on 110. A routine project enquiry is not the correct reporting channel for an urgent find.

What information belongs in a specialist enquiry?

The specific location, affected plan version and task to be clarified. This combination helps identify the competent specialist office and correct work area.

How is a new official communication incorporated into planning?

Its content and spatial reference are assigned to the current intervention. The tasks affected and coordination required are determined from this.

Which cost factors matter for a project spanning several sections?

The work involved depends on usable preliminary documents, preparatory work and access required, area size or the number and depth of investigation points, suitable method, measurement conditions, interpretation and documentation. For several sections, each specialist scope is described with its prerequisites. Outstanding areas and later additions remain identifiable. The private specialist service is offered on this basis; other operational or official tasks remain separately assigned.

Project enquiry

Prepare several construction sections with specialist input

Assign specialist questions

Identify the bodies involved and the subject of each response. Provide project addresses, land parcels, construction sections and the findings required for each. Attach relevant correspondence and complete reports with appendices. Identify access, known installations and usage constraints. FONTANA-EOD discusses the specialist service and its prerequisites for the planned interventions with you. In a joint enquiry, individual areas and responsible parties remain clearly assigned.

Identify sections clearly

Link plans, reports and outstanding decisions to clear area designations. Add intervention depths, elevation reference and known terrain changes. Identify preparatory groundworks and options still open. Update the information with the current plan version when changes occur. Also state which earthworks are due to begin first and which areas are not yet accessible. Necessary preparatory work and result handover are coordinated with the actual sequence.

GPR on a construction site
Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.