Environment
Excavated soil, groundwater and contaminated sites – clarified before the planning application, monitored during construction and documented for disposal. We start with what is already known about a site: aerial photographs dating back to the 1920s, contaminated sites registers, borehole archives and the history of use. Only from this does it follow where drilling, sampling and measuring are needed – and where they are not.
Send a project enquiryor call: +49 157 88 330112
Every site has a history – industry, railways, war, made ground. Knowing it means drilling in the right places and saving on the wrong ones.
Historical investigation and suspected contaminated sites
Evaluation of aerial photo time series, contaminated sites registers, borehole archives and maps of former uses. Changes between survey flights are flagged automatically by image comparison and assessed in our office – the result is the map of suspected contaminated areas on which the sampling is planned.
BBodSchV §§ 10, 18 · Multi-temporal aerial photo analysis · Contaminated sites registers of the federal statesPreliminary investigation and detailed investigation
Sampling of soil, soil gas and groundwater in the suspected areas – planned and supervised by our office, carried out in the field by established partner companies, analysed in an accredited laboratory. Assessment against trigger and action values for the soil–human and soil–groundwater pathways, delineation of the contamination laterally and in depth.
BBodSchV §§ 12, 13 · Annexes 2 and 3 · LAGA PN 98Preliminary UXO assessment
Review of available wartime aerial photographs and the history of use as preliminary information, enquiry to the responsible state UXO authority and coordination with the specialist UXO clearance contractor before drilling. Assessment and clearance of the drilling points lie with the authority or the specialist contractor.
Aerial photographs 1939–1945 · UXO ordinances of the federal statesSince 1 August 2023, the Substitute Building Materials Ordinance (EBV) and the revised Federal Soil Protection Ordinance (BBodSchV) govern where soil material may be reused; whatever cannot be placed there goes to landfill under the Landfill Ordinance (DepV). Disposal costs are determined by the classification before excavation – not by the excavator.
Classification of excavated soil under EBV and DepV
Sampling plan for each homogeneous zone, sampling from small-diameter boreholes by established partner companies, analysis of solids and eluate in an accredited laboratory, classification into material classes BM-0 to BM-F3 or landfill classes DK 0 to DK III, volume balance and disposal plan for the tender.
EBV · BBodSchV §§ 6–8 · DepV · DIN 19698 · LAGA PN 98Soil protection plan and soil protection supervision
Protection of the topsoil, avoidance of compaction, separation of excavated material by class, reinstatement and restoration – as a plan for the permit and as soil protection supervision to DIN 19639 where the authority requires it under § 4 para. 5 BBodSchV.
BBodSchG § 7 · BBodSchV § 4 para. 5 · DIN 19639 · DIN 19731Where the excavation extends into the groundwater, the authority wants to know how much will be pumped, where it goes and what is dissolved in it.
Groundwater monitoring wells and continuous monitoring
Planning and supervision of monitoring well installation with a screen in the relevant aquifer – drilled and installed by established partner companies. Data loggers for the hydrograph; design groundwater level and range of fluctuation for structural design and dewatering, from site measurements compared with long-term official hydrographs.
DIN EN ISO 22475-1 · DVGW W 121 · DIN 4020 · § 49 WHG · GeolDGGroundwater analysis and discharge parameters
Evaluation of the laboratory analyses: concrete aggressiveness to DIN 4030, parameters for the water-law permit for construction dewatering and for discharge into a watercourse or – under the discharge conditions of the network operator – into the sewer system, groundwater quality where contamination is suspected.
DIN 4030 · §§ 8, 9, 49, 58 WHG · Discharge conditions of the network operatorsFrom suspicion to evidence
STAGES · DATA BASIS · OUTCOME · REGULATIONSNot every site needs every stage. The desk research decides how far the investigation has to go – and provides the justification for this to the authority.
| Stage | Question | Data basis and method | Outcome for client and authority | Regulations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STAGE 1Historical investigation | Were there uses on the site that left contaminants behind? | Aerial photo time series with automatic image comparison, contaminated sites register, borehole archive, historical maps, trade records | Map of suspected areas · Statement on whether an investigation is needed · Sampling plan | BBodSchV §§ 10, 18 BauGB § 1 para. 6 (development plan) |
| STAGE 2Preliminary investigation | Is the suspicion confirmed? | Small-diameter boreholes by a partner company in the suspected areas, composite samples per sub-area, laboratory analysis for the parameters typical of the former use | Suspicion ruled out or confirmed · Comparison with trigger values per pathway | BBodSchV § 12, Annex 2 LAGA PN 98 |
| STAGE 3Detailed investigation | How far does the contamination extend? | Denser grid, depth profiles, soil gas and groundwater, grouping of the findings into contamination zones | Delineation laterally and in depth · Risk assessment · Recommendation on the need for remediation for the authority | BBodSchV § 13, Annex 2 BBodSchG § 9 |
| EVERY PROJECTClassification of excavated soil | What will disposal cost – before excavation? | Homogeneous zones from boreholes and desk research, analysis of solids and eluate, classification per zone | Material class BM-0 to BM-F3 or DK 0 to DK III · Volume balance · Disposal plan for the tender | EBV · DepV BBodSchV §§ 6–8 |
| WITH GROUNDWATERMonitoring wells and groundwater monitoring | How high is the water, how does it fluctuate, what is dissolved in it? | Monitoring well installation by a partner company, data loggers, comparison with official long-term records, sampling and laboratory analysis | Design groundwater level · Concrete aggressiveness · Documents for the water-law permit | DIN 4030 · §§ 8, 9 WHG DIN EN ISO 22475-1 |
| CONSTRUCTION PHASESoil protection and site supervision | How does the topsoil remain usable? | Soil protection plan, checks on stockpiling, separation and reinstatement, documentation of the restoration for acceptance | Plan for the permit · Records for site supervision | BBodSchG § 7 BBodSchV § 4 para. 5 · DIN 19639 |
Request an environmental investigation
Send us the location and the task – we will propose the scope of investigation and the procedure.
Send a project enquiryGoerzallee 299 · 14167 Berlin
+49 157 88 330112
info@geostudys.com