The formulae used to calculate the friction in the non-uniform flow chute were examined with the experimental data, and the results show that the accuracy of the formula is enough for engineering applications. A comparison between the results of friction respectively from the uniform flow assumption and the non-uniform flow approximation indicates that the former is an order of magnitude larger than the latter in the case of steep chute. The hydraulic drag on a steep chute with aerators was measured on the hydraulic model directly and the coefficient of the aerator effect on the drag was obtained. The variation patts of the wall shear just downstream of the aerators were investigated and the mechanism of the increase in the drag by aerator were analyzed qualitatively with the measured water-depths just downstream the aerators.