Technical map of the Saarpfalz-Kreis with Homburg marked for explosive ordnance assessments and surveys by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveys in St. Ingbert

Are you planning new utility networks or a building extension in St. Ingbert? The utility routes, foundations and preparatory ground works matter for the ordnance assessment. FONTANA-EOD checks with you which existing reports are usable for them and which investigations are still needed.

Options

Draw possible utility routes separately on the plan.

Structures

Also identify chambers, working pits and foundations.

Plan revision

Document which route was investigated.

Discuss utility and construction planningExplosive ordnance assessment in Saarland
Assess the construction project

Which ground works form part of preparing a new installation?

Record utility trenches, connection pits, foundations and preparatory ground investigations with their respective depths. For alterations, the ground interventions involved in demolition are added. Ordnance planning relates to this specific execution. An overview of heat supply describes possible directions of development, but determines neither the actual connection route nor your property’s investigation 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.

Assign utility route, construction phase and responsible municipality

St. Ingbert is in the Saarpfalz-Kreis in Saarland. For the enquiry, utility routes, installation locations and the ground interventions for every construction phase are described on the current site plan. St. Ingbert-Mitte, Rohrbach, Hassel, Oberwürzbach and Rentrisch, together with the Sengscheid project location, help locate the site. Also identify works outside your own property and the project owners involved there. Enquiries from Saarbrücken, Homburg, Kirkel, Spiesen-Elversberg or Neunkirchen are assessed according to the actual address and responsible municipality. Existing findings are always related to the specific ground intervention. Further construction locations are assigned in the regional overview. The plan version, location, area and depth of the particular project remain decisive for the investigation.

Saarland
Local context

Wartime effects and today’s utility and construction projects

Heat planning as a starting point for project development

The city of St. Ingbert provides information on its municipal heat planning and makes records on local heat supply available. These records describe the development of heat supply. Whether a particular property needs a new utility, technical installation or building adaptations must be clarified for each project. Only with these details can investigation needs for explosive ordnance be clarified for the planned ground works.

The chronicle of the Christuskirche parish in St. Ingbert describes a bomb strike at Elstersteinstraße on 27 September 1944 that also damaged church windows. It describes additional artillery fire in December 1944. Historical research compares these local wartime effects with building and transport structures at the time and today’s working area. Building files, available aerial photographs and later changes of use supplement the assignment. A dated event in the city must be distinguished from the specific assessment of suspected ordnance and the documented investigation status of a property.

The announced sequence at the cotton mill

The link between demolition, ordnance investigation and further earthworks is illustrated by the city announcement on the cotton mill dated 22 August 2024. For this alteration project, the city first described demolition of a transformer building. The area thereby made accessible was then intended to be investigated for ordnance; further earthworks outside were to follow only after the ordnance surveyors agreed. For your own alterations, ground interventions during demolition and subsequent works must therefore be described separately and coordinated by specialists before execution. The announcement describes the construction sequence at the time. To establish the investigation status actually reached, the actual results reports are needed with their area, depth and scope of services.

The city’s progress report dated 29 January 2026 already identifies an existing connection to the local heating network and completed structural works. These details describe supply and construction progress. To apply an investigation result to another construction phase, specialist reports and results plans are also needed. They show which areas and depths were actually treated and whether an additional planned ground intervention is covered.

The city’s project overview for the cotton mill describes use by the Bundeswehr after yarn production ended in 1964, as a depot and store for hospital train equipment until 1999. Industrial history, subsequent military use and today’s alterations thus represent different time periods. For your own project, available records are assigned to the relevant period and part of the property. The history of use determines the research task; technical investigation results are assessed using the specialist work actually carried out.

Describe your own utility or installation specifically

For a construction project in St. Ingbert-Mitte, Rohrbach, Hassel, Oberwürzbach or Rentrisch, we therefore need a site plan showing the ground works proposed. An area map for heat planning is neither an ordnance map nor evidence about the subsurface of a future connection. Whether and when a particular network connection is possible must be clarified separately.

For projects on former industrial, commercial, storage or transport sites, the available land-use files are also assessed. This also applies to station surroundings, older railway routes and utility corridors. Documented filling, rubble removal, reconstruction or later soil relocation are assigned to the relevant part of the property. For redevelopment sites, former uses and investigations carried out later remain identifiable as distinct bases for today’s planning.

Working together

Those responsible for the construction project and hazard response

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.

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 specialist ordnance contractor carries out the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Requirements and decisions by authorities are clarified with the respective responsible bodies. The records needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the areas investigated, depths and remaining limitations. Site management considers these details in the construction sequence; decisions required from authorities are taken by the competent bodies.

In Saarland, the local police authority is the lower-level hazard prevention authority. In cases of imminent danger, the police act within their supplementary remit. The police authorities may involve the state ordnance disposal service at the state police headquarters. Project-specific research and property investigation are prepared as a separate specialist commission. Responses are assigned to the actual construction section. The project owner identifies contacts for planning, execution and the coordination needed with the responsible authorities.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Link investigation objective and construction conditions

The suitable method depends on the information needed and actual conditions in the working area. Existing utilities, reinforcement and available access are considered. Also explain which preparatory measures are already planned. Method selection follows this assessment, not solely the later use as a heat network pipe or technical installation.

Compare suitable specialist services

Commission support services with a clear task

If an investigation is planned during construction, its task and boundaries must be clear. The technical service needed is defined by specialists and coordinated with execution. Mere presence or observation is not an equivalent survey. The documentation records which area was treated using which approach and what statement follows for subsequent works.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Coordinate demolition, utility construction and new installations with specialist input

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

Move from the development strategy to ground intervention planning

An early project idea may initially include several options. For specialist preparation, planned ground works are described as specifically as possible. Identify which information is already settled and which is still open. Existing ordnance records are linked to the affected areas without deriving a technical statement about every property from a general area map.

To decide between options, record branches, working space and connection points as well as the utility itself. Reusing an existing duct may involve different ground interventions from a new trench alongside it. Mark where chamber construction, foundation removal or preparatory investigations are needed. Specialist planning can then assign existing reports to individual options and compare the investigation scope still needed before a final choice. Unknown conditions remain identified as outstanding planning questions.

Coordinate project options and records
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Check individual construction phases and their prerequisites

Demolition may make areas accessible for later investigation while also causing its own ground interventions. Describe these two tasks separately. Specialist planning agrees the sequence using the available findings and actual conditions. A sequence from another project is not adopted without checking if your own preparatory works affect different areas or depths.

The tender describes which working areas are accessible initially and which become available only during demolition. Preliminary works involving ground contact receive their own specialist prerequisites. Site management and contractors agree access, investigation times and handover of results accordingly. Before a subsequent construction phase starts, it is recorded which results are already available and which parts of the site still need treatment. Later changes to these prerequisites are assessed before the affected ground intervention.

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

Record the checked plan version for execution

Documentation is assigned to the utility route, excavation or installation area actually investigated. Options receive unambiguous identifiers. If a different solution is selected later, its coverage by existing results is checked. Designers and site management need the complete report with maps and limitations so that an earlier investigation is not inadvertently applied to a changed route.

Keep the execution plan associated with the report, including legend and level reference. If the utility route changes, it is also checked whether new structures or greater depths are added. An organisationally unchanged project name can conceal such changes. Site management therefore receives clearly dated plans and the corresponding results records. Where several plan versions exist, it remains identifiable which was actually investigated and which was only proposed as an option.

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 reliable programme distinguishes tasks already technically resolved from prerequisites still outstanding. If an area will be only partly accessible, account for this when commissioning work. Results handover and assessment also need time in the construction programme. Agree timing and the work required once scope, access, documents, construction conditions and the date a decision is needed are clarified.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Compare utility routes, connections and foundations

01

Existing utility or new utility route

A proposed route may follow an existing alignment or affect areas not previously disturbed. Draw the possible routes separately. Earlier investigations can then be assigned to the respective option. An investigation result for an existing utility does not automatically cover the trench planned alongside it.

02

Building connection with ancillary works

As well as a utility trench, a connection may involve further ground interventions, such as chambers, working pits or a changed entry into the building. Identify these structures in the enquiry. Utility length alone is not sufficient to describe the investigation required.

03

Technical installation with its own foundation

A new technical installation may require a foundation, a standing area or additional supply lines. Please provide its location and the planned depth of ground intervention. The groundworks and the existing knowledge of the site are what matter for the ordnance assessment. The name of the installation alone is not sufficient.

04

Site investigation work before construction begins

A proposed ground investigation or trial excavation must also be considered a ground intervention. State these preliminary works separately so that the ordnance issue can be clarified before they are carried out. Ground investigation and explosive ordnance assessment serve different purposes and do not replace one another.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Include small technical structures too

Foundations for installations, connection pits and preliminary boreholes can easily be overlooked alongside a long utility line. State their location and depth explicitly. The specialist assessment considers the actual ground intervention, regardless of the visible size of the eventual installation. An overview of the technical infrastructure should therefore be supplemented by the detailed information needed for the groundworks.

Describe demolition work involving ground intervention separately

The removal of foundations or underground components forms part of the preparatory work where it involves ground intervention. State which parts will remain and which are to be removed. Specialist coordination takes account of the knowledge available before these works. An area that only becomes accessible later must not result in the preceding necessary interventions being left undescribed. The survey report connects the initial data and survey brief with measurement data, assessment of findings and the results plan. Where clearance work has actually been carried out, the clearance record documents the areas, depths and scope of work. The conclusion states which results can be used for the next construction phase and which specialist tasks remain open.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Identify alternatives before making a final decision

Provide the available planning versions, clearly identifying the alternative examined or preferred. Add the depths of ground intervention and existing findings. Initial coordination can then establish which information is already reliable and what is still needed. A later decision to use a different route is treated as a planning change and checked specifically against the results.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Coordinate the sequence of demolition and new construction

Show which works establish access and which groundworks are needed beforehand. The planners, site management and specialist contractor coordinate these steps with the necessary investigations. The relevant results are handed over before each subsequent ground intervention. Open areas or changed conditions remain explicitly identifiable so that the sequence is based on the knowledge actually available.

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

Align the investigation with the selected construction alternative

Use existing reports to assess alternatives

Historical aerial photograph analysis and existing reports can provide information on the areas to be investigated. When comparing alternatives, the areas to which existing knowledge relates must be recorded. The decision is not based solely on the present use or outward appearance of the site.

Where the underlying information is incomplete, the necessary historical research and aerial photograph analysis are carried out. Available records, former uses and documented ground alterations are considered alongside the planned utility and installation areas. Earlier reports are included with their maps and limitations. The assessment distinguishes evidence of wartime impacts from investigations or clearance work already carried out. The result describes which issues still need to be addressed for the actual groundworks.

Check survey conditions in the selected area

Known utility lines, metal installations and paved surfaces form part of the conditions affecting a technical investigation. The suitability of ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry or other methods is assessed against the investigation objective. The method and survey arrangement must suit the planned groundworks and local conditions.

For a survey, the target objects, ground structure and required depth must be considered alongside local interference. Utility lines, reinforcement or remaining structural components can overlap the measurement data and limit interpretation. The method selection therefore explains the conclusions achievable under the actual conditions. Any necessary deep-ground survey or clearance for borehole drilling is tied to a specific location and depth. This information, together with the required access and preliminary works, forms part of the survey brief.

Deeper components and areas that remain unresolved

For deeper components, a deep or borehole survey may be required. Whether further investigations are needed is assessed against the planned depth and the existing results. Areas that have not been investigated or can only be assessed to a limited extent remain documented as such; they are not replaced by a general confirmation for the project.

Depending on the clarification of findings, further work may include suitable excavation supervision or area clearance within a defined area. Where ordnance recovery is required, the specialist task and the interface with the state authorities are coordinated. The results document the actual scope and remaining limitations. Before subsequent works, they are compared with the intended volume of ground. Survey limitations remain identifiable on the plan even where sections are handed over separately.

Next steps

From alternatives to the construction plan

01

Possible utility routes

Distinguish possible utility routes, installation locations and preliminary works on the site plan. Initial contact records the project location, construction task and the decision needed.

02

Existing reports

Relate existing investigations to their respective areas and planned depths. The document review covers complete reports with maps and appendices. Where the underlying information is incomplete, the necessary historical research and aerial photograph assessment follow.

03

Selected route

Identify the route actually selected and its components for further assessment. Method selection takes account of target objects, ground conditions, interference and the required depth. The agreed survey or suitable supervision addresses the defined scope; findings and survey limitations are assessed.

04

Subsequent planning changes

Have later route shifts or additional ground interventions reassessed before they are carried out. The report, results plans and, where applicable, clearance record document the work performed. The subsequent decision establishes what further specialist input is needed before the groundworks concerned.

Documentation

Which plan belongs with the survey report?

Findings and their scope

The documentation should show which utility route, standing area or excavation formed the basis of the investigation. A plan with several indistinguishable alternatives is not sufficient. The associated specialist documents are retained, including the surveyed areas and the limits of what can be concluded. If a different route is to be built later, the planners and specialist contractor check whether the existing investigation covers that area.

Project responsibilities

Any necessary investigation during construction also has a defined task. Merely observing earthworks is not an equivalent technical explosive ordnance survey. Where an item is found, further hazard response falls within the remit of the responsible Saarland authorities. A routine project planning enquiry must be distinguished from reporting a find to the police.

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

Connect the investigated alternative with the construction plan

Use clear plan designations and keep the maps belonging to the report together. Site management must be able to identify which alternative was investigated. Where a later change is made, the location, area and depth are compared again. Suitable results can thus remain usable, while new areas are identified as separate tasks rather than simply continuing under an unchanged project name.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Distinguish the investigation from the utility supply decision

Whether a particular type of supply or network connection is possible is clarified in the relevant specialist planning. The explosive ordnance investigation assesses the associated planned groundworks within the commissioned scope. Coordinate the information needed between those involved. A change to the technical solution may alter the ground intervention and is therefore also checked against the existing investigation results.

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 utilities and construction planning in St. Ingbert

Does municipal heat planning replace an ordnance assessment?

No. Heat planning describes the development of supply. An ordnance assessment for a construction project must examine the specific area, planned intervention depths and existing subsurface findings. The process includes records review, necessary historical research, method selection and investigation, as well as assessment and documentation.

When should several utility route options be submitted?

As soon as they are relevant to the construction decision. The records should identify the alternative routes and their ancillary works. This allows early clarification of whether existing results are informative for an option or which questions remain outstanding. Bring the records together well before the planned ground interventions.

Is a small foundation generally unproblematic?

A structure’s size alone does not answer the ordnance question. Its location, the actual ground intervention and existing findings are decisive. Even limited works are therefore related to their specific intervention area.

Does the result remain valid after a later route shift?

This must be checked against the documented area and statement. A shift may remain within the area already investigated or affect an area previously unresolved. The change should be agreed with designers and the specialist contractor before the ground intervention.

How is a suspicious object reported?

Stop work in the affected area, keep your distance and do not touch or move the object. Notify the police on 110 and follow their instructions. Use the project enquiry for routine construction projects; report urgent finds directly to the police. The local police authority, the police and the state ordnance disposal service perform their respective hazard response tasks in Saarland.

Which local information helps select a measurement method?

Known utilities, metal structures, paved areas and available access form part of preparation. Specialist planning assesses the information achievable using the investigation objective. Ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry or other methods are selected according to these conditions, not solely from the installation’s later use.

Which factors determine effort and costs?

The number and scope of options, research needs, area and depth, accessibility and interference determine the work required. The suitable method, assessment and documentation needed and any investigation of findings are also included. Specialist services are agreed according to the actual investigation objective and construction phases required. Reports already usable help determine the supplementary scope.

How are uninvestigated parts of the site kept identifiable in the project file?

Mark uninvestigated areas or those with limited interpretability with their respective boundaries. Link the details to the associated reports and relevant plan. A general confirmation for the overall project does not replace this specific presentation of outstanding tasks.

Project enquiry

Enquire about a utility or construction project in St. Ingbert

Show all construction phases

Include demolition, utility trenches, foundations and preliminary ground investigations. Add the address, cadastral parcel, depths, available aerial photograph assessments and complete reports with appendices.

Identify alternatives clearly

Clearly connect the investigated planning version with later changes. State construction dates, authority conditions, known utility lines and the date by which a decision is needed.

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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