Schematic map marking Neustadt an der Weinstraße, beside a tablet, safety helmet, notebook and pen.

Explosive ordnance surveys in the SGD Süd area

Soil reports or water-law documents may already exist for an excavation while the explosive ordnance question remains unresolved. What matters is whether everyone involved is considering the same area and intervention depth. FONTANA-EOD assesses explosive ordnance investigation needs using your project and the knowledge available.

Establish the plan reference

Assign reports to the actual intervention.

Separate tasks

Distinguish explosive ordnance, soil and water as specialist subjects.

Coordinate preparation

Clarify access and working conditions required at an early stage.

Enquire about a projectExplosive ordnance assessment in Rhineland-Palatinate
Assess the construction project

Relate specialist tasks to the same intervention plan

For your project in the SGD Süd area, explosive ordnance, soil and water documents are related to the interventions actually planned. We clarify the agreed explosive ordnance contribution and its prerequisites. Other specialist assessments retain their own purpose; shared plan versions help coordinate outstanding tasks before the respective groundworks.

Project references

Selected project examples

Mainz 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, notebook and pen.

Assign SGD Süd's environmental tasks correctly

The Water Management, Waste Management and Soil Protection department describes the tasks of its central and regional divisions in Kaiserslautern, Mainz and Neustadt. Which of these affect your project is clarified. The private explosive ordnance investigation has its own task and documentation. The participants share the current intervention plan, against which prerequisites and results are coordinated.

SGD Süd is an upper-tier state authority for southern Rhineland-Palatinate, based in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. For the project enquiry, identify the exact municipality and construction area, for example in Mainz, Ludwigshafen, Worms or Speyer. For work spanning municipalities, documents and contacts are assigned to individual areas. Soil, water and explosive ordnance questions each have their own specialist processing status. Existing responses, earlier specialist investigations and outstanding questions are supplied together with the intervention plan. The bodies involved can thus coordinate their tasks against the same current area and depth reference.

Information on explosive ordnance surveying in Kaiserslautern, Worms, Speyer, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Frankenthal and Landau in der Pfalz helps you prepare your project enquiry. The documents and proposed ground interventions on the particular property are decisive.

Rhineland-Palatinate
Local context

Assess regional history and subsurface questions

Assess SGD Süd's environmental tasks

SGD Süd's Water Management, Waste Management and Soil Protection department handles the corresponding environmental-law and technical tasks. It includes regional offices in Kaiserslautern, Mainz and Neustadt. Which office is involved in a specific project must be clarified according to the task; not every earthwork requires the same procedure.

Distinguish explosive ordnance hazard prevention from these tasks

State explosive ordnance hazard prevention must be distinguished from this. The explosive ordnance clearance service at ADD supports the competent authorities in specific hazards. According to ADD's task description, it does not offer general preventive confirmation that every construction project is free of explosive ordnance.

Connect regional history with specialist documents

For clients and planners, this means existing documents should be available together without being confused with one another. A soil report may contain information about strata; a water-related document may describe constraints on the intervention. Whether and how explosive ordnance investigation is required is assessed using the relevant knowledge and requirements.

Municipal sources document different wartime impacts on places in present-day southern Rhineland-Palatinate. The Landau chronology describes severe destruction by air warfare in 1944 and 1945. The Kaiserslautern chronology records major air raids in 1944 and 1945. In Speyer, the historical investigation at Wartturm identified bombing towards the end of the Second World War; the published technical follow-up investigation in 2023 found no explosive ordnance there. Such dated findings are used with their respective investigation area. For a current project, documented uses, wartime impacts and subsequent ground changes are assigned to the specific construction area using available files and aerial photographs. Further investigation needs justified by this are coordinated with existing specialist reports and planned interventions.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the existing project documents. The operator adds the requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact agrees the assigned tasks with those responsible. Before commissioning, a clear record is made of which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the results are intended to inform.

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 carries out the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent authorities concerned. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed; its conclusions are not presented unchecked as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an authority's decision.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Determine the investigation task from the actual need

The explosive ordnance question is described using existing knowledge and proposed groundworks. Other specialist documents may provide relevant conditions. Nevertheless, the method is determined by its own investigation objective and local interpretability. A geotechnical drilling programme is therefore not automatically the appropriate programme for an explosive ordnance investigation.

Compare methods for explosive ordnance investigation

Make limitations understandable across disciplines

Describe which areas are inaccessible or subject to limited interpretation. The significance of these limits is compared with subsequent activities. Another specialist service does not automatically remove the limitation. Additional investigation needs are assigned a specific question, while the respective responsibilities and types of result remain separately traceable.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Address several subsurface questions with a clear plan reference

Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Show planned interventions in full

Alongside the excavation, show proposed drilling, shoring and other groundworks. Location and depth are stated for each activity as far as known. The different specialists can then relate their tasks to the same scope. Outstanding information remains identified so that incomplete planning is not understood as a fully considered intervention.

Document interventions and investigation scope
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Assess reports according to their findings

Check which question an existing expert report investigates and which areas it covers. Information about strata, bearing capacity or pollutants may be important for preparation. However, each answers its own task. The explosive ordnance question is considered separately using the knowledge actually available for it and the proposed groundworks.

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

Coordinate prerequisites between specialist services

If one investigation affects access for or execution of another activity, the sequence is clarified together. Identify the knowledge needed and affected area. A sequence of dates alone is insufficient. The specialists involved must be able to understand which prerequisites should be met for the next work step.

Coordinate the sequence and tasks
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A sound workflow distinguishes work already clarified technically from outstanding prerequisites. If an area will be accessible only in part, commissioning must take this into account. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction sequence. An enquiry therefore does not imply a blanket commitment on dates or cost. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, documents, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Prepare the construction project

Information that helps joint preparation

01

One excavation, one plan version

Clearly mark excavation edges, bases and proposed working levels. If dewatering, shoring or additional drilling is planned, their possible ground interventions also belong in the description. This prevents coordination from considering only the future building footprint. The intervention plan also includes the associated work areas and connections between construction sections. For wells, connections or preparatory drilling, locations and proposed depths are assigned individually. Specialist planning can then compare the investigation volume required with existing results. Outstanding dimensions are clarified before the service scope is determined.

02

Read preliminary investigations correctly

Provide existing reports in full. A statement on pollutants or soil bearing capacity does not automatically answer the explosive ordnance question. Conversely, an explosive ordnance investigation replaces neither a pollutant assessment nor geotechnical planning. The plan appendices of different specialist reports are brought together for comparison. Investigation purpose, positional reference, elevation reference and depths actually addressed remain identifiable. Participants identify which statements concern ground conditions, water or explosive ordnance. This allocation helps target enquiries for supplementary services for the affected part of the project.

03

Describe access and existing conditions

State whether surfaces are paved, installations exist or areas will become accessible only after dismantling. Such conditions may be decisive for technical investigation. Suitable timing can be determined only in conjunction with the construction sequence proposed. For several construction phases, record when each investigation area is accessible. Utility information, remaining installations and operational closure periods are agreed with those responsible. If areas become accessible only after preparatory work, the investigation and handover timing required is considered in the sequence. Changed prerequisites are communicated to the specialist company before deployment.

04

Relate requirements to the activity

Attach existing official correspondence and specialist conditions. Identify the activity they concern. Explosive ordnance specialist planning needs to know these constraints; it does not thereby grant a water-law, soil-protection or other official approval. Decisions, specialist statements and private service specifications are compiled with their respective subjects. Specific requirements retain identification of the construction section and work step affected. Outstanding requirements are passed to the responsible parties. Coordinated preparation considers the documents actually available and the proposed start of groundworks.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Hand over the scope of each specialist service

Explosive ordnance documentation is provided with a site plan and the limits of its findings. Other reports remain identifiable by their respective purpose and results. Site management can thus check different prerequisites together. A shared file does not turn individual documents into comprehensive evidence of every conceivable subsurface property. The project overview connects each report with its plans and processing status. After clearance work has actually been performed, the clearance record, stating its scope and results, is added to this document set and assigned to the areas addressed on the site plan. Where findings are adopted, the investigated area remains identifiable by location and depth. Site management receives complete documents for its next work step. Outstanding areas and specialist decisions still pending are also specifically assigned to that step.

Clarify conflicting plan versions before continuing work

If reports refer to differing areas or depths, this is explicitly marked. Current planning forms the basis for further comparison. Specialists clarify which findings remain suitable. A new filename alone updates neither the content of an old report nor the scope of an earlier investigation. If a construction section, well location or intervention depth changes, the change is compared with the previous investigation volume. Usable results are adopted with their prerequisites. The new enquiry identifies the supplementary need and associated plan revision. If participants change, the current results and outstanding tasks are handed over together.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Establish a shared document basis before work

Compile the current intervention plan with the soil, water and explosive ordnance documents available. Identify the specialist offices already involved. Outstanding questions are assigned to their respective tasks. The explosive ordnance contribution can then be specifically commissioned and coordinated with the prerequisites of further investigation or construction work. For the enquiry, identify the exact municipality, affected properties, construction sections, depths and dates. If an official specialist procedure is already underway, the associated file reference and responsible contact help allocation. Missing appendices are recorded as specific information questions. The specialist company can relate investigation needs and preparation required to this.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Compare the next activity after an investigation

Check what knowledge the new report provides for the following work step. Other specialist assessments or decisions still needed remain identifiable. The area actually investigated is compared with the planned groundworks. Handover thus supports further planning without deriving blanket clearance for the entire project from a single specialist service. Service coordination distinguishes existing sources, research still required, preparation, technical investigation, assessment and documentation. Results needed in each case are assigned to the next work step. The supplementation required for additional areas or depths is presented in good time. The agreed scope remains linked to current plan appendices and actual access prerequisites.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Address different specialist questions at the same location

Coordinate drilling points in advance

If geotechnical or environmental drilling is planned, its location and intended depth should be identified early. The explosive ordnance task is related to these specific ground interventions. Which survey is suitable for this depends, among other factors, on the knowledge available and measurement conditions; a blanket standard scope would not be reliable.

Connect investigation and construction sequence

If an area becomes accessible only after preparatory work, the sequence requires specialist coordination. An explosive ordnance survey during construction is considered only where suitable. Merely observing excavation does not replace a required technical survey.

Hand over results separately by discipline

The documentation of the explosive ordnance investigation describes its scope, results and limits. Other commissioned specialists are responsible for their respective statements on soil, water or ground conditions. For site management, all documents should be assigned to the same plan version and correct areas.

Next steps

Include the explosive ordnance task in planning

01

Record interventions

Describe the proposed work, including additional pits and drilling points. Where depth is not yet established, this should be explicitly noted. For the initial project enquiry, provide the municipality, property location and current schedule. Specialist planning describes the construction section affected and information still outstanding. This information forms the shared starting point for coordinating the explosive ordnance contribution required.

02

Bring documents together

Attach existing explosive ordnance reports and the soil and water documents important for access or execution. Mark the current plan version. Existing explosive ordnance reports and official responses are checked for currency, area and depth reference and the limits of their findings. Usable results and missing sources are assigned to the current construction task. Soil and water documents retain their respective specialist purpose.

03

Supplement historical information

Where information remains unresolved, historical research or aerial photograph analysis required is carried out for the specific construction area. Recorded wartime impacts, former uses and later ground changes are assigned spatially using available records and images. Findings are brought together with the present-day construction task and assessed for investigation planning. Existing information already sufficient may continue to be used.

04

Assign outstanding questions

Record which question the explosive ordnance specialist company answers and which remain with other specialists. Missing information is requested specifically. The specialist company defines its task with those responsible for the project. Preparatory work required, access, operational conditions and interfaces with specialist authorities are assigned to the proposed investigation step. Outstanding questions receive a contact and are clarified before the work affected.

05

Commission an investigation

Following specialist clarification, a defined investigation scope can be offered. Prerequisites, preparatory work and proposed result documents form part of this agreement. The suitable method is determined according to the objective, depth, installations and actual measurement conditions. Specialist personnel perform the agreed investigation or supervision within the permissible scope. Data are recorded with positional reference, areas addressed and limitations. If conditions change, further action is agreed with the responsible parties.

06

Assess findings and document next steps

Recorded data and findings are assessed by specialists using the investigation objective, method and local conditions. The report documents areas and depths addressed, results, interference and the limits of the findings with the associated plans. Site management assigns these documents to the next interventions. For outstanding areas or additional construction phases, the supplementation required is agreed with those responsible before execution. The follow-up decision remains linked to the documented investigation volume and proposed work step.

Documentation

Reports must match the planned intervention

Findings and their scope

For later decisions, what was actually investigated matters. Area, elevation reference and investigation limits must be clear from the documents. If the excavation becomes deeper, drilling points move or additional areas are needed, the existing findings are checked to establish whether they still cover these changes.

Project responsibilities

The local pages for Mainz, Ludwigshafen, Worms and Speyer add specific planning context to this preparation across disciplines. They do not permit blanket statements about a property's ordnance contamination. Nor can a particular investigation method be derived solely from its location in the SGD Süd area.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Shared area designations help specialist comparison

If several reports use different names for the same area, their allocation is recorded. The current plan shows the areas actually meant. This helps communication between specialists and site management. Matching names alone, however, do not replace comparison of the respective investigation tasks and depths.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Changed dewatering may involve further groundworks

Additional wells or relocated drilling positions are recorded on the current intervention plan. Their locations and depths are compared with existing explosive ordnance results. The need arises from the specific change. An excavation area already investigated does not automatically describe every intervention later proposed nearby.

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
Person in an orange high-visibility vest with a MALÅ survey cart on a meadow.
Person in a high-visibility vest in front of a marked construction area with piles of soil.
Questions from planning

Questions about explosive ordnance, soil and water

Is SGD Süd responsible for every explosive ordnance investigation?

No. SGD Süd has tasks including water management, waste management and soil protection. The Rhineland-Palatinate state explosive ordnance clearance service is based at ADD. Private investigation commissions and official tasks must be distinguished in each project.

Is an existing soil report sufficient for the explosive ordnance question?

That depends on the statements and investigations it actually contains. Information about pollutants or bearing capacity does not in itself demonstrate an explosive ordnance investigation. The knowledge available on that subject and a reference to the planned intervention areas and depths are required.

Which services and costs are agreed for the explosive ordnance investigation?

The contribution described here comprises the agreed explosive ordnance investigation and its documentation. Pollutant and geotechnical assessments are separate services. They are coordinated with the specialists commissioned for them. Each report remains identifiable by its task, area and limits of findings; shared filing helps access. Work involved depends on area, intervention depth, usable previous findings, accessibility, installations and interference. Preparation, investigation, assessment and reporting are agreed with their specific scope. Privately commissioned services are distinguished from the tasks and costs of state hazard prevention.

Can the explosive ordnance investigation take place before dismantling?

This is assessed using accessible areas, existing installations and investigation objectives. If parts cannot yet be meaningfully investigated, they remain identifiable as outstanding areas. Further action is coordinated with the later intervention and conditions then available.

Which documents are useful for an initial enquiry?

A current site plan, planned depths, existing explosive ordnance reports and information about installations or access restrictions are helpful. Add the soil and water documents whose statements affect preparation or execution of the investigation. Agree missing sources and the investigation scope required with the responsible parties before the affected groundworks begin.

Why should different specialist reports use the same plan version?

So that their areas and prerequisites can be compared unambiguously. Differences are identified and clarified before the activity affected.

How are additional wells for dewatering considered?

Their drilling positions and depths are shown as separate groundworks and compared with existing knowledge.

What should I do if I find possible ordnance?

If possible explosive ordnance is found, stop the affected works immediately. Leave the object untouched, keep your distance and warn others without putting yourself at risk. Notify the police immediately on 110 and follow their instructions. Do not attempt your own investigation or recovery.

Project enquiry

Coordinate explosive ordnance, soil and water questions in the SGD Süd area

Attach complete specialist documents

Describe your project and send the current intervention plan. State which specialists are already involved and which investigations exist. We clarify the explosive ordnance contribution, information required for it and limits of the service scope requested. Soil, water and explosive ordnance reports are assigned to their respective tasks.

Use the current plan

Also state which earthworks are due to begin first and which areas are not yet accessible. Preparatory work required and result handover can then be coordinated in good time. Also show drilling, wells and other preparatory groundworks.

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.

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