Flint River (Michigan)

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For other rivers named Flint, see Flint River (disambiguation page).

Location of the Flint River watershed

The Flint River Watershed

The Flint River is a river in southeast Michigan, 142 mi (229 km) long, that flows through the city of Flint.

1 Course
2 Features along the Flint River
- 2.1 Cities and villages along the river
3 References

[edit] Course

The Flint River drains 1332 sq mi (3450 km²) of Michigan, mostly in the counties of Lapeer, Genesee, Shiawassee, and Saginaw. It also drains parts of Oakland, Tuscola, and Sanilac.

The river is formed in Lapeer County near Columbiaville where the river's South Branch and North Branch come together. The river is supplemented by four major creeks, the Kearsley (draining the south and central portions of the east side of Genesee County), Thread (draining the south central part of the county), Swartz (draining the Swartz Creek area), and Misteguay (draining the area near the northern section of the border of Genesee and Shiawassee Counties).

The river empties into the Shiawassee River in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge near the city of Saginaw. Within the refuge, the Cass and Tittabawassee combine with the Shiawassee to form the Saginaw River. The Saginaw empties into the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron.

[edit] Features along the Flint River

The river is dammed in Richfield Township to form the Holloway Reservoir. Another dam just west of Genesee forms Mott Lake. Local attractions along the lake include Crossroads Village, Huckleberry Railroad, and Stepping Stone Falls, and the riverboat Genesee Belle.

In the city of Flint, the river flows past the sites of former General Motors factories, and downtown through the campus of the University of Michigan-Flint and the Riverview Park. Continuing to the west, the river runs past Kettering University and McLaren Hospital out into Flint Township and Flushing.