Pine River (Chippewa River tributary)

For other rivers in Michigan named Pine, see Pine River (Michigan).

The Pine River is a 103-mile-long (166 km)^[3] river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The Pine River is a tributary of the Chippewa River and is thus part of the Saginaw River drainage basin.

Pine River
The Pine River in Alma
Map of the Saginaw River watershed showing the Pine River as one of its major tributaries
Location
Country	United States
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Wheatland Township, Mecosta County, Michigan
Mouth
• location	Chippewa River
• elevation	600 ft (180 m)^[1]
Length	103 mi (166 km)
Discharge
• location	mouth
• average	368.7 cu ft/s (10.44 m^3/s) (estimate)^[2]
Basin features
River system	Saginaw River

The river rises in Wheatland Township in southeast Mecosta County at 43°35′09″N 85°08′34″W / 43.58583°N 85.14278°W / 43.58583; -85.14278 (Pine River (source)).^[1] It flows southeast into southwest Isabella County. It turns south through northeast Montcalm County and Gratiot County, where it turns to the northeast, continuing through the cities of Alma and St. Louis. It enters Midland County and joins the Chippewa River at 43°36′06″N 84°17′33″W / 43.60167°N 84.29250°W / 43.60167; -84.29250 (Pine River (mouth))^[1] approximately two miles before the Chippewa joins the Tittabawassee River on the west side of the city of Midland.

The river was contaminated by the Michigan Chemical Corporation (later Velsicol Chemical Corporation) in St. Louis and has been subject to extensive clean-up efforts.^[4]

Tributaries and features

• (left) Sucker Creek^[5]
• (left) Bush Creek^[6]
  • (right) Taylor Drain^[7]
  • (left) Rook Drain^[8]
• (left) Horse Creek^[9]
• (right) Sugar Creek^[10]
• (right) Honeyoey Creek^[11]
  • (left) Coles Creek^[12]
    • Peterman Lake^[13]
  • Madison Lake^[14]
• (left) Newark and Arcadia Drain^[15]
• (left) Carpenter Creek^[16]
• (left) Twin Lake^[17]
• (left) Robbins Lake^[18]
• (left) Deaner Lake^[19]
• (right) Mud Creek^[20]
  • (left) Bass Lake Drain^[21]
• (right) North Branch Pine River^[22]
  • (left) Cedar Drain^[23]
  • (right) Thatcher Creek^[24]
• (left) Wolf Creek^[25]
  • (right) Offnear Lake^[26]
  • (left) Cedar Lake^[27]
    • (right) Marl Lake^[28]
• (left) Skunk Creek^[29]
• (left) South Branch Pine River^[30]
  • Blanchard Millpond^[31]
    • (left) Decker Creek^[32]
    • (right) Jewel Creek^[33]
• (right) Pony Creek^[34]
  • (left) Halls Lake^[35]
  • (right) Big Eldred Lake^[36]
    • Little Eldred Lake^[37]
• (left) Miller Creek^[38]
  • Meeker Lake^[39]
• Pine Lake^[40]

Drainage basin

• Gratiot County
  • City of Alma
  • Arcada Township
  • Bethany Township
  • Emerson Township
  • New Haven Township
  • Newark Township
  • Pine River Township
  • City of St. Louis
  • Seville Township
  • Sumner Township
  • Wheeler Township
• Isabella County
  • Broomfield Township
  • Fremont Township
  • Lincoln Township
  • Rolland Township
• Mecosta County
  • Millbrook Township
  • Wheatland Township
• Midland County
  • Homer Township
  • Jasper Township
  • Lee Township
  • Mount Haley Township
  • Porter Township
• Montcalm County
  • Richland Township
  • Ferris Township
  • Home Township

References

1. "Pine River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Report: Pine River". WATERS GeoViewer. from the original on 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
3. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed November 7, 2011
4. Smith, Lindsey. "Michigan town looks forward to cleaning up mess left behind by chemical company". www.michiganradio.org. Michigan Radio. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
5. "Sucker Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
6. "Bush Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
7. "Taylor Drain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
8. "Rook Drain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
9. "Horse Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
10. "Sugar Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
11. "Honeyoey Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
12. "Coles Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
13. "Peterman Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
14. "Madison Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
15. "Newark and Arcadia Drain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
16. "Carpenter Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
17. "Twin Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
18. "Robbins Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
19. "Deaner Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
20. "Mud Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
21. "Bass Lake Drain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
22. "North Branch Pine river". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
23. "Cedar Drain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
24. "Thatcher Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
25. "Wolf Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
26. "Offnear Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
27. "Cedar Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
28. "Marl Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
29. "Skunk Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
30. "South Branch Pine River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
31. "Blanchard Millpond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
32. "Decker Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
33. "Jewel Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
34. "Pony Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
35. "Halls Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
36. "Big Eldred Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
37. "Little Eldred Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
38. "Miller Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
39. "Meeker LAke". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
40. "Pine Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.