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Water Wall Reinforcing

Water Wall Reinforcing

Water Wall Reinforcing

(OP)
I have a project where there will be a site retaining wall. The wall will retain earth for an unbalanced height of around 10'.

The site retaining wall will also become part of an appearance package being put together by the landscape architect. The architect wants to use this wall as a "water wall", where pumps will pump water to a reservoir on the high side of the wall. The water will cascade down the face of the wall and be caught in a trench at the base of the wall, to then be pumped back up to the top of the wall, and cascade again and again.

I'm trying to determine if this wall should have epoxy coated bars to protect the bars, long term, versus exposure to water. Essentially, water will be running down the face of this wall from now on. But then again, I've worked on water treatment plants in the past where we designed clarifiers and did not coat the bars.....but spaced the bars close enough to keep the cracks closed per ACI for water containment structures.

Am I over-reacting regarding epoxy coated bars? Should I just space the bars at the water containment spacings per ACI and go on?

Just don't want there to be a long term spalling issue here nor do I want deterioration of the concrete and bars due to water exposure long term.

I am also considering designing an enormous toe for this retaining wall footing, as I'm figuring that the water will likely splash out of the trough and end up in the ground near the toe, likely reducing my bearing capacity and causing the wall to rotate over time.

Anyone have experience with these types of site retaining walls that also act as water walls?

RE: Water Wall Reinforcing

Concrete with two inch cover should not need epoxy coated reinforcing.
You're correct. We design tanks holding nasty wastewater and treated water and we never use epoxy bars. We typically don't even coat the concrete unless there's a hydrogen sulfide problem (raw sewage, enclosed).

RE: Water Wall Reinforcing

I trust you will be designing the wall to carry saturated earth with significant lateral earth pressure accordingly, as well as the effect on bearing soils.

RE: Water Wall Reinforcing

Will there be any deicing salts near the bars? If not, you don't need epoxy coated rebar. Just being wet all the time does not automatically cause corrosion. Wet and dry cycles are much worse.

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