The Kalamazoo River is a river located in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 130 miles (210 km) long from where its north and south branches meet to where it flows into Lake Michigan. Including the South Branch, the river’s total length is 178 miles (286 km). The river’s watershed covers about 2,020 square miles (5,200 km²) and includes parts of ten counties in southwest Michigan: Allegan, Barry, Eaton, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Jackson, Hillsdale, Kent, and Ottawa. The river’s average flow rate is 1,863 cubic feet per second (52.8 m³/s) at New Richmond, which is upstream from its mouth at Saugatuck and Douglas.
The north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River begin near each other. The south branch starts near North Adams in Moscow Township, northeastern Hillsdale County, and flows north and west through Homer before joining the north branch at the forks of the Kalamazoo River in Albion. The north branch begins near Farwell and Pine Hills lakes in southern Jackson County and flows north and west through Concord before reaching Albion in Calhoun County. From there, it continues through Kalamazoo and Allegan counties.
After Albion, the Kalamazoo River flows mostly westward through Marshall, Battle Creek, Augusta, Galesburg, Comstock, and Kalamazoo. From Kalamazoo, the river flows mostly north until near Plainwell, then turns northwest through Otsego, Allegan, Saugatuck, and into Lake Michigan.
Some of the larger rivers that flow into the Kalamazoo River include Rice Creek, Wilder Creek, Wabascon Creek, Battle Creek River, Augusta Creek, Portage Creek, Gun River, Swan Creek, and Rabbit River.
History
Archaeological evidence shows that humans have lived in the Kalamazoo River basin for more than 11,000 years. When Europeans arrived, the area was mainly home to members of the Potawatomi tribes. In 1675, the Jesuit priest Father Jacques Marquette and his group may have been the first Europeans to see the mouth of the Kalamazoo River as they traveled back from Illinois. Europeans did not visit the area often until the late 1700s. By the early 1800s, small communities had formed along the river, including Kalamazoo. The arrival of railroads in the 1840s made the river less important for transportation.
By the mid-1800s, several towns had grown along the river, such as Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Parchment, Plainwell, and Otsego. These towns became centers for industries like cereal production, medicine, and car parts. Some communities used the river for papermaking, taking water from the river and releasing waste into it. Old methods of removing ink from paper caused toxic chemicals called PCBs to pollute the river. Sewage, industrial waste, and trash also made the river dirty. For many years in the 1940s to 1960s, the river was considered polluted and avoided by most people. Starting in the 1970s, the federal Clean Water Act led to efforts to clean the river. Today, the river is cleaner, but a 35-mile section from Kalamazoo to Allegan Dam remains polluted and is part of a special cleanup program called Superfund. Many fish live in the river, including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, catfish, carp, and panfish. Although fish populations have grown since the cleanup, people are advised not to eat large amounts of fish from the river. Pregnant women are also told not to eat any fish from the river because some fish, like catfish, may contain high levels of mercury from past pollution.
In the late 1950s, a developer built a dam at the headwaters of the North Branch (Farwell and Pinehill Lakes) to create a commercial marina. The dam raised the water level, causing soil and dirt to enter the lake through erosion. Residents of Farwell Lake have worked to improve the lake’s quality. A sewer system has been added, and people are encouraged to keep fuels, lawn chemicals, and fertilizers out of the water. Property owners hope the dam will be removed to restore the lake’s natural flow and sandy shoreline.
The word "Kalamazoo" seems to have Native American origins, but its exact meaning is unknown. Different explanations have been suggested over time.
Kalamazoo River oil spill
On July 26, 2010, an Enbridge Energy pipeline leaked over 1 million U.S. gallons (3,800 cubic meters) of tar sands, also called dilbit, into Talmadge Creek, which flows into the Kalamazoo River. This caused two homes to be evacuated, and signs were posted banning fishing and swimming in the area. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later confirmed the spill exceeded 1 million gallons. On July 29, 2010, the Calhoun County Health Department requested that 30 to 50 households evacuate and advised twice as many households not to use their water for drinking. The National Transportation Safety Board reported that the Enbridge oil spill is the most expensive onshore cleanup in U.S. history.