Shooting ranges
"End of fire" - who cleans up?
We advise municipalities
Almost every municipality in Switzerland has a shooting range that needs to be renovated in the coming years. The framework conditions that apply depend on the location.
Although the regulations of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) for dealing with old shooting ranges are clear, the enforcement requirements and regulations vary considerably from canton to canton. We advise municipalities comprehensively on the technical and legal procedures for the renovation of shooting ranges. We also issue invitations to tender, carry out the construction planning and supervise the renovation work. We also support you in applying for financial contributions in the compensation procedure.
Our services
Our environmental professionals can assist you with the following services:
- Historical and technical investigation of bullet traps and shooting ranges
- Survey of heavy metal contamination in soil and subsoil, detailed mapping of soil contamination with representation in plans and geographic information systems (GIS)
- Preparation of remediation projects and cost estimates for the remediation of contaminated sites
- Planning and submission of bullet trap renovations incl. construction and clearing permit procedures
- Site management and specialist site management for contaminated sites during bullet trap remediation (excavation, triage, disposal, recultivation and monitoring)
- Success monitoring and documentation
- Support for municipalities in the compensation procedure (applying for federal and cantonal contributions)
From investigation to remediation and recultivation
With a detailed investigation of the load situation, the probable remediation costs can be estimated early and meaningfully.
Contact
Melanie Tschopp-Vögtli
Head of Department Contaminated Sites and Geology
Lars Schudel
Senior Project Manager Contaminated Sites, Deputy Head of Environment & Planning
Our references
Hittenberg shooting range
Dürrenbach shooting range
Albisgüetli shooting range
Rohr shooting range, Opfikon
Sennenberg shooting range
Hittenberg shooting range
The old and new bullet traps at the Hittenberg shooting range in Wald are located on the edge of a forest and have not been in use for around 20 years. Due to the high level of lead contamination, the bullet traps are listed in the register of contaminated sites and have been classified by the Canton of Zurich as requiring remediation. For the remediation of the contaminated site, a strip of forest had to be temporarily cleared and a 300-metre-long construction track with a stream crossing had to be built. Around 460 tons of heavily contaminated soil were removed and disposed of as part of the remediation work. In addition, the old target stand was dismantled and around 100 m3 of demolished concrete was recycled. After the clean-up, the site was recultivated in line with its location and the forest area was reforested. All temporary facilities were dismantled and the site was properly restored more >>
Dürrenbach shooting range
The Dürrenbach shooting range comprises a 50 m and a 25 m shooting range. It borders woodland to the north and east and a stream to the west. This resulted in major restrictions and high requirements for the renovation in terms of access, construction site logistics and space conditions. Accordingly, Ecosens took this into account in the renovation project and the tender, so that the renovation could be successfully completed in autumn 2019. more >>
Albisgüetli shooting range
In the Albisgüetli in Zurich Wiedikon, various shooting ranges with a total of over 300 targets and a hunting range have been in operation for over 100 years. As a result of the many years of shooting, enormous amounts of pollutants have accumulated in the soil. The Office for Waste, Water, Energy and Air (AWEL) classified these contaminated sites as requiring remediation and requested the City of Zurich to initiate the necessary measures. As a first step, detailed mapping of the pollutant contamination in the soil was carried out for all shooting ranges covering a total area of around 65,000 m2. Based on the contamination data, risk assessments were carried out for all six shooting ranges in relation to the protected goods and corresponding remediation projects were drawn up. The cost of remediating the contaminated sites is expected to be around CHF 20 million. more >>
Rohr shooting range, Opfikon
The Rohr shooting range in Opfikon comprises a 300 m, a 50 m and a 25 m bullet trap with a total of 46 targets. The results of the preliminary investigation of contaminated sites showed that, due to the small distance between the targets, all of the bullet traps require remediation to protect the groundwater. As a result, a remediation project was drawn up on behalf of the city for the three bullet traps. In 2019, the construction and clearing permit was issued and the tender for the renovation was put out to public tender. The renovation was then carried out in the fall/winter of 2020 within around 2 months. The final greening work and the planting of cleared areas were carried out in spring/summer 2021. more >>
Sennenberg shooting range
The municipality of Wald (ZH) had to remediate the bullet trap of the Sennenberg shooting range on a steep and remote slope in the agricultural zone. The remediation was coordinated at an early stage with the shooting club and the farmers concerned. As part of the remediation, around 1,000 tons of heavily contaminated bullet trap material were removed and disposed of in summer 2020. After remediation, the site was recultivated and landscaped in a manner appropriate to the location.
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