Technical map of the Saarlouis district with Saarlouis marked for explosive ordnance assessments and surveys by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveys and disposal in Saarlouis

In road construction, a building service connection does not end at the property boundary. When public and private ground works meet in Saarlouis, the investigations must be coordinated. FONTANA-EOD clarifies with you which areas each commission covers and which results the parties need for their work.

Areas

Show the road, connections and private building sites on the plan.

Commission

Identify investigation areas and contacts.

Documentation

Hand over reports and plans to the responsible parties.

Assess the construction project

How is a building connection crossing several properties prepared?

Show the full route, including public and private parts of the site. Add connection pits, depths and the respective access conditions. The project owners involved agree who provides existing records and specialist services needed. An investigation result is used according to its documented spatial scope; the property boundary alone does not determine this scope.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Outline and coat of arms of Saarland on a map, with a safety helmet, tablet, notebook and pen alongside.

Define joint projects in Saarlouis in full

Saarlouis includes Innenstadt, Roden, Fraulautern, Lisdorf, Beaumarais, Picard, Neuforweiler and Steinrausch. For joint public and private measures, each actual ground intervention area is described with its own records. Enquiries from Dillingen/Saar, Ensdorf, Schwalbach, Wadgassen, Völklingen or Saarbrücken also need the specific municipality and project address. The responsible authorities and other parties are identified from this location. Areas, depths and specialist limitations of individual parts remain traceable in a common overview.

Local context

Ordnance assessment for joint construction projects

Joint development of several districts

With its village development strategy “Links der Saar”, adopted in December 2025, the city of Saarlouis considers Beaumarais, Lisdorf, Neuforweiler and Picard together. The strategy addresses the development of these four districts. For an ordnance assessment of a construction project arising from it or independently of it, the specific execution plans are also decisive: which area will change and which ground will actually be affected?

Earlier clearance limits at Lisdorfer Berg

The importance of the scope of earlier clearance work for later ground interventions is illustrated by the explanatory statement for the development plan “Industriegebiet Lisdorfer Berg” dated 13 February 2013. It describes a former minefield in the south-eastern planning area where the disposal service at the time, lacking detection equipment capable of reaching deeper, could detect and remove only near-surface mines and other ammunition. For new construction, the reports must therefore identify the area and depth actually investigated; later investigations must also be included. A reference to earlier clearance work alone does not answer the question of deeper ground interventions. The planning statement describes the knowledge then available for this area, not the current condition of the entire industrial estate.

Parts of the site and responsibilities in your own project

In the final months of the Second World War, Saarlouis, Roden and Fraulautern were largely destroyed. This context, recorded in the city chronicle for 1945, forms part of the local history of use; assessing a present-day property requires its own records. For projects in Innenstadt, Roden, Fraulautern and Steinrausch, ground intervention areas are drawn on the current plan. Where several individual measures are involved, each part is assigned its available reports, who makes access possible and who receives the later documentation. A result remains related to the documented volume of ground even if neighbouring projects are prepared together.

The French border and industrial, logistics and transport uses shape different projects around Saarlouis. Works on former commercial sites, railway and freight facilities or older utility corridors include the respective land-use records. Reconstruction, building over, filling and other ground changes may be important for alterations within the city. Metal- or energy-related uses and handling areas are described with their actual structures and ground interventions. For each project area, it is checked which of these local records and changes are actually informative for today’s intervention.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the project and provides the existing records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the information together; everyone involved performs their respective assigned tasks. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is 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?

Assess methods and access conditions for each section

The same utility types may encounter different conditions in different parts of the site. Metal structures, surfaces and available working areas are considered. Specialist planning coordinates the approach with the investigation objective needed. A joint construction contract or continuous route is not sufficient reason to assume the same technical service or investigation depth everywhere without change.

Compare suitable specialist services

Define responsibilities for outstanding areas

If part of the site is not yet accessible or records are missing, this limit is explicitly recorded. The parties clarify who prepares the next step and when the information is needed. Areas already treated remain clearly identifiable. An organisational handover of the entire construction section should not give the impression of an investigation that has not yet taken place for individual areas.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Assess connected construction tasks across responsibility boundaries

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

Collect records for all affected parts of the site

For joint utility construction, different owners may hold earlier reports. Bring the information together with a consistent overview plan. For each part of the site, it should be identifiable which findings are actually available. An investigation of the adjoining road is not transferred without checking to the private connection area, even if the two ground interventions lead directly into one another.

For a building connection, a continuous drawing from the existing public utility to the connection at the building is helpful. This includes proposed pits, crossings and ancillary areas. The ownership boundary identifies the properties involved; the volume of ground requiring technical consideration follows from the planned intervention. If only the road section is included in the enquiry, the adjoining private section remains a task to be clarified separately. State which parts are already designed and where an endpoint is still open. The agreed investigation scope can then consider the necessary connections rather than relying solely on the name of a road project or a single plot.

Bring records for the parts of the site together
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Agree the scope needed jointly

Describe the continuous ground intervention with its depths, pits and connections. Specialist assessment checks which existing statements are usable and which supplements are needed. Access and responsibilities are clarified in parallel. Joint commissioning is possible if the task and boundaries are clearly established; organisational grouping does not replace specialist definition of investigation areas.

For separate construction contracts, transfer points should be identifiable on the common plan. A chamber identifier, a drawn property boundary and a utility centreline may refer to different reference points. For the investigation, what matters is the section actually affected, its lateral working space and depth. Designers, the utility operator and the private project owner compare these details. An undefined connection is treated as an outstanding subtask. If its route changes, the new geometry is passed to specialist planning before the affected ground work starts. Contractual cost allocation and specialist scope definition are each recorded transparently.

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

Hand over results to all parties carrying out the work

Complete records are assigned to the respective parts of the site and work steps. Private project owners, utility operators and contractors also need the maps and limitations relevant to their task. Establish who distributes records and updates changes. The specialist statement then remains understandable even if individual sections are built later or by different firms.

If two subcommissions are addressed in one report, assignment and progress must be identifiable for each section. A common results plan states which part has already been investigated and which can be treated only after later access. Different report extracts are identified with their common version and associated appendices. If a contractor changes, completed investigations, outstanding sections and new plans are handed over together. Subsequent site management can then assign its working area to the documented investigation volume. A verbal message about a neighbouring section is insufficient for this comparison.

Document findings and their limitations
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
Tasks at the site

Where public and private works meet

01

Road area and private building connection

If a building connection runs from the road onto private land, it affects both areas. The site plan should show the complete planned ground intervention. It must also be identifiable which commission covers which section. Check whether a gap remains between separately commissioned investigation areas whose investigation needs still require clarification before ground works.

02

Square redevelopment and individual foundations

Redeveloping a square may require different investigation depths from those needed for foundations of new installations. Describe paving construction, utilities, drainage and localised depths separately. A report on the near-surface area covers a deeper foundation only if that intervention is also included in the documented investigation.

03

Access to other people’s property

A continuous investigation may involve several properties or business sites. Before agreeing dates, identify which areas are accessible and who coordinates their use. A commissioned investigation alone does not grant access rights to neighbouring properties or replace necessary consent.

04

Changes between planning and commissioning

Notify designers and the specialist contractor of changed routes, construction boundaries and responsibilities before execution. An earlier agreed version of the plans remains traceable but is not silently extended to new areas. The commissioned service should identify which areas are explicitly included and which are clarified separately.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Draw public and private ground interventions together

A building connection does not technically end at the ownership boundary if the works extend beyond it. Show the actual trench and connection pits up to the intended endpoint. Identify the responsible contacts for individual areas. The drawing helps compare existing results and prevents an important part of the overall commission from remaining unidentified during preparation. For clearance work carried out, the clearance log records the area treated, agreed clearance objective, approach and findings, information achieved and remaining limitations. The site plan and necessary further appendices are handed over with the log.

Compare earlier clearance depths with the new ground intervention

Older records may describe a limited investigation scope. Check the areas and depths at the time and later supplementary reports. A deeper foundation or new utility needs the combined specialist statement. A historical notice about completed clearance work must neither be adopted without its limitations nor presented as today’s status without checking later findings.

For a renewed utility, today’s trench is compared with earlier investigation plans. If it is offset laterally or a connection pit extends deeper, the additional ground volume is identified separately. A ground surface changed in the meantime may also affect the depth comparison. The former working level, reference elevation used and current execution plans therefore belong together. Later supplementary reports are assigned to the original result. Specialist assessment can then distinguish which statement can be reused and for which area findings are still missing. This is as important when moving between public road space, business premises and private land as within an individual construction section.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Start with a joint overview plan

Send the full ground intervention route and available reports from all parties. Mark ownership or responsibility boundaries and intended transfer points. The initial discussion assigns existing results to the actual works. Missing records or unresolved access can thus be assigned specifically to a part of the site and a responsible contact.

Keep sectional handovers technically clear

For every authorised work step, the corresponding investigation scope must be traceable. Hand over the report and maps with the current execution plan. If a later section has different depths or a changed location, it is compared again. The parties document which statements apply and which tasks remain outstanding before further ground works.

Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

For a new connection, historical aerial photographs and other earlier records are assigned to the full planned route. What matters is whether the sources cover both the road space and the private connection area. Recognisable wartime effects and former uses support investigation planning. Source assessment describes historical indications; it does not measure today’s ground.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Passive magnetometry detects magnetic anomalies, particularly from ferromagnetic objects. For a connection beside fences, utilities or building elements, their interference is considered in planning and assessment. Signal strength alone determines neither the type of object nor the scope of any necessary further investigation.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

TDEM emits electromagnetic pulses and records responses from electrically conductive objects. The suitability of this active method is assessed for the investigation objective, volume of ground and existing structures. Different conditions may exist on the public road and private connection area; location references, limitations and supplements needed are recorded accordingly.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar uses electromagnetic waves and their reflections at structures and material boundaries. Ground moisture, layers and existing structures are important when assessing a utility route. A radar image made for utility questions is checked against its specific task. Reflections alone do not identify ammunition; the statement remains tied to interpretable areas and depths.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For a deep connection pit or individual foundation, the volume of ground needed, starting points, borehole paths and existing utilities are considered together. A borehole survey investigates defined points and depths. Suitable creation of investigation access is planned in advance. Standard grids and neighbouring boreholes do not replace the specialist definition relating to your own ground intervention.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

An investigation during construction is planned with the proposed earthworks and technically suitable investigation sections. At the transition from the road to private land, working area, investigation, assessment and communication of findings must fit together. Observation of excavation alone does not replace a necessary survey. Outstanding areas are communicated to site management with their specific location reference.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Which records and measurement conditions need checking

Compare reports and plans

Historical aerial photograph assessments, earlier survey reports and current site plans are checked for their respective spatial reference. For a joint measure it matters whether the records describe the same areas and depths. Missing drawings or conflicting identifiers are recorded as information gaps.

For work by section, existing reports are first assigned to their associated plans and appendices. The overview identifies their date, investigated part of the site and documented limitations. A privately commissioned report may contain useful findings for adjoining public works if the volume of ground actually considered fits and the records are available. Such reuse is checked by specialists. Missing appendices are specifically requested; differences between plan versions are clarified before further works are defined. If a gap remains, it is described with its location and the information needed so that a supplementary investigation addresses a defined outstanding area rather than repeating tasks already resolved.

Measurement conditions at property boundaries

Existing utilities, hard surfaces and other structures can change measurement conditions. Surface surveys and deep-ground surveys are therefore selected according to the investigation objective and local conditions. Whether an investigation result is usable for the neighbouring section depends on the documented area, depth and statement. The property boundary or project owner alone does not determine this.

Define further measures according to findings

Uninvestigated areas and anomalies must be discussed with designers and the specialist contractor before the ground works concerned. This may involve supplementary investigation or necessary clearance. Observation of excavation alone does not replace a necessary ordnance survey during construction. Responsibilities when an item is found must still be observed separately.

Next steps

Seven steps from the joint plan to the result

01

Overall works on the plan

Include all planned areas in a plan, including connections and ancillary works. The initial discussion clarifies the project location and information needed. Existing plans and reports are checked for currency, spatial reference, completeness and outstanding questions.

02

Supplement the historical basis where needed

Where historical questions remain open, the source research and aerial photograph assessment needed are actually carried out. Findings are assigned to today’s road space and private connection areas and incorporated into specialist investigation planning. Existing sufficient information is taken into account.

03

Structures and depths

Describe area-wide works, chambers and individual foundations with their respective depths. Specialist planning selects the suitable method for the investigation objective, volume of ground needed and actual measurement conditions.

04

Commissions and access

Assign contacts, commissioned areas and available access to each part of the site. Necessary prerequisites and planned specialist works are agreed with designers, site management and contractors.

05

Report recipients

Establish recipients and the location reference needed for documentation before execution.

06

Carry out the agreed specialist work

The agreed investigation is carried out on accessible parts of the site or at defined points. Measurement data and observations are recorded with location and level references. Uninvestigated sections, interference and limitations are assigned to their respective areas; where work proceeds by section, actual progress remains identifiable.

07

Assess, document and hand over

Specialist assessment evaluates data and findings under actual investigation conditions. The report and drawings document the result, volume of ground treated and limits of interpretation. The agreed recipients receive the associated records together. Outstanding tasks and necessary follow-on measures are coordinated with the responsible parties for the further construction sequence.

Documentation

Assign reports to the areas investigated

Findings and their scope

Traceable documentation shows areas treated, methods used and limits of interpretation. Where several project owners are involved, they should be able to use the same unambiguous area identifier. A common overview plan is helpful; specialist appendices and outstanding areas must not be lost in the summary.

Project responsibilities

When ammunition is found in Saarland, hazard response rests with the responsible police authorities, involving the state ordnance disposal service. The commissioned investigation by a specialist contractor does not replace a decision by an authority. Clarify coordination needed while preparing the construction project.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

FONTANA-EOD coordinates the investigation commission in Saarlouis with the public and private ground interventions that are actually connected. A municipal part of the site and a private connection may be shown in one common overview while still having different project owners and report recipients. Before starting, the information needed, access and local investigation conditions are clarified. Execution documents the volume of ground treated; plan changes are compared with the existing result before the affected work.

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

Pass on summaries with their appendices

A brief results note can aid orientation but does not replace associated plans and limitations. Make these records available to all affected parties. Where commissions are split, it is important to use the same specialist basis. Different extracts or old plans should be compared before execution so that differing interpretations of the investigation scope are recognised.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Update changes to properties and plans

If an area is subdivided or a connection relocated, establish its new assignment to the existing investigation plan. The documented statement remains limited to its original scope. Which results fit the new task is checked specifically. Changes of ownership or new plot numbers should therefore be documented with a traceable spatial link to the existing reports.

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 joint construction tasks in Saarlouis

Does a development strategy replace an ordnance assessment?

No. A development strategy describes urban development objectives and possible measures. An ordnance assessment needs the exact area, planned ground interventions and existing findings. The planning framework alone is not evidence of an investigation.

Can public and private areas be investigated together?

This must be decided using the planned works and investigation conditions. Joint preparation can be useful for connected ground works. Nevertheless, the commission, access and scope of results must be agreed and documented for each part of the site.

Can an investigation extend beyond a property boundary?

This requires the area concerned to form part of the task described by specialists and access to have been clarified with those entitled to grant it. An investigation must not be treated as completed merely because the neighbouring area has already been investigated.

Who receives the report when several parties are involved?

The parties should establish in advance who receives the records and who incorporates investigation status into further planning. Reports and their plans must remain together so that parts of the site and limitations are identifiable when passed on.

What applies if a suspicious item is found during construction?

Stop the affected work. Do not touch, move or relocate the suspicious object, and do not uncover it further. Leave the danger area, keep others away and call the police on 110 from a safe distance. Do not take the object to a police station. Follow the competent authorities' instructions.

What happens if drawings are missing or identifiers conflict?

Record missing appendices and unclear assignments as information gaps. Reports and current plans are checked for their respective spatial reference. An unresolved assignment must not be replaced by assuming that both records describe the same area and depth.

What determines the cost of a joint investigation?

The information needed, existing records, areas and depths and the suitable method are decisive. Actual access, interference, necessary preliminary works and division into manageable sections also matter. Where several project owners are involved, it is recorded in advance which specialist work and results records the joint commission includes and which services are commissioned separately. Additional investigations or necessary clearance work are described according to the needs clarified by specialists.

How are different report extracts compared where commissions are split?

Compare the extracts used with the complete report, its appendices and the corresponding plans. Different versions and older plans are clarified before execution. All affected parties need the same traceable basis for their respective commissioned ground works.

Project enquiry

Enquire about a construction project in Saarlouis

Show the complete route

For an enquiry in Saarlouis, we need a site plan of the overall works, the ground interventions and depths and the specified subcommissions. Public and private parts of the site, including pits, connections and ancillary works, are shown together. Include existing ordnance records and describe transitions between public areas, business premises and private land. We discuss with you which areas still need investigation before ground works.

For clarifying the quotation, it also helps to know whether the road and private area are intended to be treated together or consecutively. Identify transfer points already established, connection options still open and the parties with whom access and records can be coordinated. Necessary investigations or protective measures must be clarified before preparatory ground interventions. An enquiry therefore requires neither breaking ground yourself nor exposing utilities or suspicious objects. Existing plans and information available from safely accessible locations suffice for the initial comparison; missing details are then discussed specifically.

Link responsibilities

Assign existing records, access, contacts and recipients of later documentation to the parts of the site. Where commissions are separate, identify their respective service boundaries and outstanding transitions. For projects outside the city, add the municipality and exact project address; the regional assignment within Saarland thus remains traceable even for a joint enquiry.

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.