Technical map of the Landkreis St. Wendel with its administrative seat St. Wendel marked for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in St. Wendel

A development area may keep its name even when property divisions, access routes and utility routes change. What matters for explosive ordnance assessment is the ground intervention actually planned. FONTANA-EOD supports your project in St. Wendel by assigning existing documents to the current construction area and coordinating the necessary specialist services in good time. Send the old and new site plans and complete investigation reports to prepare for the next groundworks.

Planning change

Identify new areas and routes.

Preliminary work

Bring results together with their maps.

Site development

Clarify each ground intervention in advance.

Discuss the project's technical requirementsExplosive ordnance assessment in Saarland
Assess the construction project

How are changed properties compared with old reports?

Provide the current site plan together with the maps from the earlier investigation. Mark new property boundaries, relocated connections and additional working areas. The decisive point is whether the documented conclusions cover the present location and depth. A shared area name or earlier site development does not replace this comparison of the individual groundworks.

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 building plots, working areas and the responsible municipality

St. Wendel is the administrative seat of the Landkreis Sankt Wendel in Saarland. For a site development or construction project, properties, public routes and private connection areas are recorded with their present boundaries. The Hottenwald plan amendment concerns Bliesen; connections with Winterbach and the state roads are assessed using the respective planning documents. For your own property, location, depth and investigation status remain decisive. Enquiries from other places in the district, such as Oberthal or Marpingen, are prepared according to the actual project address and responsible municipality. A shared area name does not extend a report’s investigation scope. Further locations are assigned in the regional overview. For specialist planning, your own planning versions, investigation reports and operational conditions are brought together.

Saarland
Local context

Wartime damage in St. Wendel and present-day site development

Wartime impacts and changed construction areas

The Landkreis Sankt Wendel describes increasing air raids from late summer 1944. On 6 December 1944, bombs struck the railway station and neighbouring district administration building, among other locations. The district history describes shelling of the city on 18 March 1945. Historical research relates these local wartime impacts to building and transport structures at the time and the present area of ground intervention. Reconstruction, later earthmoving and existing investigations represent further periods. Specialist assessment assigns the available knowledge to the specific construction area.

The explanatory statement for the second amendment to the Hottenwald development plan in the Bliesen district, dated 12 April 2022, describes changes to an earlier plan. An initially proposed extension of the plan area was withdrawn. At the same time, the amendment was intended to allow smaller plots and a new access road, among other changes. The statement also includes guidance on what to do if explosive ordnance is found.

Earlier site development and present building plots

These documents show a changed planning scope, but do not establish completion of an explosive ordnance investigation. For a specific project, the present working areas must therefore match the results available for them. A report on earlier site development may be useful; the shared area name alone does not establish that new property layouts or relocated connections are covered.

Construction sections during ongoing operations

The expansion of the HIL facility into the KETTE competence centre in St. Wendel, described by Bundesbau, illustrates the relationship between investigation and construction sequence. Several construction sections are planned during ongoing operations, including renewed technical infrastructure and changed routes. Bundesbau identifies the property as an area of suspected explosive ordnance and cites investigations during construction as a challenge. Planning must therefore also assign groundworks on utility lines and routes to the respective sections. The statement about the suspected area concerns this property; it establishes neither ordnance at other properties nor completion of an investigation. Whether an investigation during construction is suitable for your project is assessed by specialists against the specific construction task and investigation conditions.

Working together

Responsibilities for site development 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 explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation. Documents needed for an official procedure are determined by the site, project and requirements of the competent body. The technical report describes the specialist service completed with its documented area, depth and service scope. The respective competent bodies make official decisions.

In Saarland, the local police authority is the lower hazard prevention authority. Where there is imminent danger, the police service acts within its supplementary remit. The police authorities can involve the explosive ordnance disposal service at the Landespolizeipräsidium. Project-specific research and property investigation are prepared as separate specialist commissions. The client, planners and site management determine who obtains documents, communicates decisions and assigns the results to the respective construction sections.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Derive the method from the task and conditions

A method described for another construction section is not adopted solely because it concerns the same property. The conclusions needed, existing knowledge and local investigation conditions are decisive. Provide details of access and known installations. An investigation during construction must also be suitable for the specific task and coordinated by specialists before execution.

Compare suitable specialist services

Clarify operational dependencies before the investigation

If technical installations remain in use, access times and necessary protective measures must be coordinated. Identify operational contacts and the sequence of utility or route works. Specialist planning can then describe the necessary conditions. A general construction schedule should be supplemented by the conditions on which the investigation in each section actually depends.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Clearly connect planning changes and construction sections

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

Locate the previously investigated area

An earlier report may concern larger plots or a different access road. Place its maps alongside the present plan and mark clear reference points. If boundaries remain unclear, the missing documents are clarified specifically. The current cadastral parcel number helps with assignment, but does not replace comparison with the area actually investigated.

The comparison also requires the legend, height reference and boundaries of the former survey areas. New plot divisions may lie within an already investigated area; a connection outside that area, by contrast, requires a separate question to be addressed. Assign the relevant report or unresolved specialist need to each planned ground intervention. Missing results appendices are obtained specifically before conclusions from an old area designation are applied to the new construction task.

Assign investigated areas on the current plan
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Describe new ground interventions as separate tasks

Record relocated utility lines, additional access routes and changed excavations with their depths. Smaller plots may require different connection points. Specialist planning assesses the need against existing knowledge and the present works. Suitable earlier results continue to be used; a planning change does not automatically mean repeating every service already performed.

Procurement distinguishes investigation, interpretation and the handover of results for the individual work steps. Each commission includes accessible areas, known interference, planned depths and the results documents needed. If utility trenches or shafts are relocated during planning, the change is assessed by specialists before execution. Already reliable results remain usable. The supplementary brief describes the additional volume of ground and the conclusions needed for it, rather than merely naming the whole development area again.

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

Pass section reports on with the relevant construction section

Where there are several construction phases, each report has a clear spatial reference. The handover shows which subsequent works are covered by its conclusions. Unresolved areas and necessary additions remain explicitly identified. When contractors or responsible persons change, the complete appendices are passed on so that the conclusions are not reduced to an abbreviated name for the entire development area.

During ongoing operations, access windows, vehicle traffic or technical installations still in use can affect the investigation. Identify the operational contacts responsible for these matters. Site management and the specialist contractor agree the necessary preparations and the timing of the results handover. The next section receives the current plan version and its own conditions. As soon as a different area or greater depth is involved, coverage is checked against the actual specialist documents.

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

Changes that matter for the comparison

01

Trace new property layouts

When a larger area is divided into several building plots, older reports may use different cadastral parcel numbers or boundaries. Obtain the associated maps and locate the new area within them. A new number does not automatically mean a new investigation question. What matters is whether the spatial relationship can be established clearly.

02

Consider access routes and building plots separately

An investigation along a road does not necessarily constitute an investigation of the adjacent building plots. Conversely, a report for one plot does not automatically cover additional utility routes beyond its boundary. Draw public and private working areas on a shared plan. For each planned ground operation, it should be clear which conclusions are already available.

03

State changed depths at connections

Even an almost unchanged utility route may require a new comparison if the depth changes. State the planned depths of ground intervention for shafts, drainage and connection points. Alternatives that remain unresolved should be identified as such. What supplementary work is necessary can only be assessed using the existing investigation and the specific change.

04

Include works carried out in advance

Ground investigations or work on an access route may begin before the actual site development. Include these items in the enquiry so that they do not fall between different commissions. A later investigation brief for the buildings does not replace the conclusions needed for earlier ground interventions elsewhere. The sequence needs to be coordinated early.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Include temporary infrastructure

A construction access route or temporary utility line may lie outside the final plan. Show these areas with the groundworks actually intended. Their preparation is checked against the available knowledge. Even measures carried out early need a suitable investigation reference; the eventual condition of the property does not automatically represent their full scope.

Distinguish changed boundaries from greater depths

A new property boundary may run within an area already surveyed. A deeper shaft, however, may raise an additional question despite being in the same location. Document the two changes separately. This enables specialists to assess which existing conclusions still apply and where the scope of a further investigation needs to be defined more precisely. 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 describes the usable results and the tasks still unresolved before the subsequent ground intervention.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Submit old and new planning versions together

Send the current plan and the documents to which earlier reports relate. Identify changes instead of merely providing a new overall drawing without explanation. State the groundworks planned first. Initial coordination can then assign existing conclusions specifically and request missing information against a defined question.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Carry the results into the next construction phase

Before the next section begins, check which reports apply to its areas and depths. Supplementary services are defined with their spatial scope. Site management receives the complete documentation in good time. If the sequence changes, the investigation boundaries remain identifiable and are checked again before additional areas or areas subject to different ground interventions are used.

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

Use existing results and investigate unresolved areas specifically

Assess the history of today’s construction area

A historical aerial photograph analysis is considered alongside other available information about former use. Existing investigations may supplement this assessment. The relationship to today’s working area is important. A general note about finds in a development plan establishes neither confirmed ordnance nor the appropriate technical method for every property.

Where the underlying information is incomplete, the necessary historical research and aerial photograph analysis are carried out. Available files and information on use are related to the properties concerned. Earlier survey or clearance reports are included with their results plans. Historical indications, later ground alterations and specialist services already performed are assessed separately. The resulting question describes which areas still need technical investigation for today’s works. Unresolved spatial assignments remain identifiable for further planning.

Align the survey with the required scope

A survey must suit the question and conditions at the site. Paving, utility lines or other installations can affect the investigation. Record these circumstances in the enquiry. The result must identify the areas actually investigated and any limitations so that it is used correctly during subsequent construction.

For a suitable survey, expected target objects, ground structure and required depth are considered alongside local interference. Utility lines, reinforcement or remaining structural components can overlap the measurement data and limit interpretation. For localised deep works, borehole positions, retaining structure alignments or foundation locations are stated with their levels and depths. Any necessary deep-ground survey or clearance for borehole drilling is given this specific spatial reference. Preparation and access form part of the commission.

Define the measures for the construction sections

A clearance plan can assign existing results and investigation or clearance services still needed to the construction sections. Site development and individual construction projects must be considered together. Merely observing excavation does not replace a necessary prior investigation. Separate methods used during construction require specialist assessment and suitable conditions.

Any necessary area clearance or ordnance recovery is assigned a defined scope of services. Specialist works and state hazard response are coordinated at their respective interface. Suitable excavation supervision is derived from the construction task and investigation conditions. The results documents show the area actually addressed, findings and remaining limitations. Before the next ground intervention, they are compared with the current construction plan; unresolved subareas retain their identifiable boundaries.

Next steps

How to prepare your enquiry for St. Wendel

01

Obtain the correct planning version

The city provides its development plans as PDFs organised by district and plan number. Many entries include a plan drawing and explanatory statement; amendments are listed separately too. Check which version concerns your property. Where boundaries are unclear or plans difficult to read, the city recommends expert advice from the planning department or appropriate specialist offices. Initial contact records the project location, construction task and the decision needed.

02

Provide old and new plans together

Include the current ground intervention plan and the maps from the previous investigation. Mark changed property boundaries, additional routes and relocated connections. State the stage reached and known gaps. The comparison can then address the actual change rather than derive a subsequent measure solely from a new plan date or different cadastral parcel number. 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

Clarify the conclusions needed before commissioning

For which works is an existing assessment sufficient, and which question remains unresolved? This distinction belongs in the brief. A general phrase such as “the whole development area” is often too imprecise. Describe the relevant areas and depths and the results needed for the individual construction phases. Method selection takes account of target objects, ground conditions, interference and required depth. The agreed survey or suitable supervision addresses the defined scope; findings and survey limitations are assessed.

04

Pass results on with the current plan

Those carrying out the works need the reports with their appendices and a clear assignment to their working area. New planning changes must be coordinated before the affected ground intervention. Retain earlier versions in a traceable form, but use the coordinated current version for construction. This keeps clarified and unresolved areas distinguishable. The report, results plans and, where applicable, clearance record document the work performed. The subsequent decision identifies the further specialist input needed before the affected subsequent ground interventions.

Documentation

Distinguish planned investigations from dealing with a find

Findings and their scope

In Saarland, commercial specialist contractors and the responsible authorities have different tasks. Hazard response when explosive ordnance is found falls to the police authorities; the Saarland police explosive ordnance disposal service handles chance finds and takes over ordnance found during commercial operations, among other tasks. A planned investigation project must therefore be prepared with its own scope of services.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD supports construction projects in Saarland with the necessary investigation and clearance services. The BFR KMR describe specialist principles for planning and documentation. Their direct scope is federal properties. The requirements applicable to your property in St. Wendel must be clarified against the project; they do not create a blanket additional investigation requirement for private land.

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

Check the appendices of an older report specifically

A summary statement can often only be understood spatially with the associated map. Also check the planning version at the time and the limitations described. Missing appendices are clarified before further use. An existing investigation can thus be taken into account appropriately when plot divisions change, without extending its conclusions indiscriminately or discarding them without justification.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Identify those responsible for the next step

Establish who provides planning changes, assigns existing results and hands the documents over to site management. External specialist planners also need the same current information. A clear handover facilitates coordination between site development, property owners and construction. The decisive point remains that each ground operation is prepared on a basis appropriate to its location and specialist task.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

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

Historical evidence and the current design

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

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

Specialist reports for site management

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

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

Questions about planning changes and site development

Does an old report remain valid after a property is subdivided?

It may, provided the conclusions can clearly be assigned to the present area and planned works. The report’s maps and limitations are particularly important for this. A different cadastral parcel number alone makes a result neither unusable nor transferable without restriction. The process connects document review, any necessary historical research, method selection and investigation with assessment and documentation.

Does an investigation of the access road cover my building plot?

Not automatically. Road areas and building plots may form different investigation areas. Compare the location and depth of the planned works with the actual scope of the existing result. This identifies which questions remain open. Coordinate this need before the planned ground interventions.

What does the ordnance note in the Hottenwald plan mean?

The explanatory statement from 2022 includes a note on notification if an item is found. This does not establish that an investigation of the development area has been completed. The relevant investigation documents must be consulted for any conclusion about the specific property.

Where can I find the associated development plan documents?

The city provides a download directory organised by district and plan number. Check the plan drawing, explanatory statement and relevant amendments together. If the assignment remains unclear, you can ask the city planning department for information.

What should I do if a suspicious object is found in the ground?

Stop work, keep your distance and do not touch or move the object. Keep other people away and immediately call the police on 110 from a safe distance. Follow their instructions for further action. In Saarland, the local police authority, police service and state explosive ordnance disposal service each perform their respective hazard response tasks.

Who brings the documents together for the next construction section?

Those involved establish who provides planning changes, assigns existing results and hands the complete documents over to site management. External specialist planners also need the same current information. The handover connects site development and the individual construction project with a basis that fits both the location and the specialist task.

Which factors determine effort and costs?

The number and size of subareas, research needs, depth, accessibility and interference determine the work involved. The suitable method, interpretation and documentation, and any necessary investigation of findings, also contribute. Specialist services are agreed according to the conclusions actually needed. Usable earlier reports help limit the supplementary brief to unresolved areas.

Is the method mentioned for the KETTE project suitable for every project?

No. The approach is determined by the specific construction task, existing knowledge and actual investigation conditions. Paving, utility lines and other installations can limit measurement or interpretation. The conclusions achievable under these conditions are explained for the specific ground intervention.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Identify plan changes clearly

Bring earlier maps and current ground interventions together with their respective planning versions. Add the address, cadastral parcel, depths, available aerial photograph assessments and complete results appendices.

Assign construction phases

Identify initial works, temporary areas and operational dependencies. 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.

Send a project enquiry Call now Send documents Select services