Pouring steps down to the creek/swimming hole...nope, never done it before!

[MotorSeven]

Last year, we had a bank erosion project completed on our creek that runs through the property. 300' of fabric and 120 tons of rip rap. In the summer, the water is low, and the creek is about 7-8' down from the pasture. So, with the angle of the rip rap bank, I need about 12' of steps. Trying to walk/crawl down to the creek right now is hazardous, but necessary if you are going to take a dip in the swimming hole. Flooding in spring can be 2' over the banks and completely cover my pasture out to the paved road. For this reason, wooden steps will not work.

Since I have never done this before, I Youtubed it, and now am a confident (cough)expert. Stair tread/rise calculations hurt my head, so I keep a 4' HomeDepot pre-cut Stringer handy as a template. I bought 4-12' 2x12x12 boards and marked out the risers and treads.

So, put 2x8 risers on the Stringers 2' apart(width of stairwell), drag it down to the creek and find a suitable spot to set it on top of the rip rap. I figure a 3x3 top and lower pad all tied together with some re-bar.

Will take new pics of the creek and proposed stair location......stand-by.

What could go wrong pouring 24 steps??

 

[Streetcar]

Lots of hydrostatic pressure at seven feet of height. Make sure steps are well braced and anchored

 

[David in KY]

An excellent android app called Feet & Inches does terrific stair calculations, as well as a host of other functions. Check it out:

Feet & Inches Construction Calc

 

[MossRoad]

....

What could go wrong pouring 24 steps??

Plenty.

Just a couple of concerns for me would be:

If the lower pad is placed where moving water will hit it, it will, someday, get washed out. It's called scouring.

Bridge scour - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

If the sides of the stairway get submerged in moving water, they will get undermined at some point. Then the only thing holding them up is the other steps.

 

[Streetcar]

Plenty.

Just a couple of concerns for me would be:

If the lower pad is placed where moving water will hit it, it will, someday, get washed out. It's called scouring.

Bridge scour - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

If the sides of the stairway get submerged in moving water, they will get undermined at some point. Then the only thing holding them up is the other steps.

Typically the steps have rebar along the length and foundation at the bottom

 

[mrmikey]

It's called scouring.

I would definitely be concerned about that, any kind of flow will cause it, it's caused many engineered bridges to fail.

Here's an online stair calculator along with a bunch of other calcs as well: Stair Calculator with Detailed Plan Diagrams - Inch

 

[MossRoad]

Typically the steps have rebar along the length and foundation at the bottom

So does a bridge abutment. It still scours. Unless it's bolted to bedrock or on deep pilings, if the water comes fast enough long enough, it washes out.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm not saying it's gonna happen in this case. It's just a concern that would be easier to think about now just in case.

 

[bigtiller]

If you're only using it for access to the swimming hole, why not turn that concrete form you made into a staircase? Use the tractor to set it in place in June and take it back out in September.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Was your erosion control with the fabric and rip rap engineered?

If it was, talk to the engineer of record and ask them what the effect of placeing a concrete dam (staircase) that catches the weight (velocity in cubic feet per second) of the rising and falling water has on the rip rap. I think you will be surprised by thier answer.

Would need to know the size of the rip rap and the flow of the stream in cfs to really give any help on this.
My thoughts are that the staircase will cause the rip rap to scour causing movement. But I don't know the elevation change at your site and the velocity of the flow in the creek.