Paw Paw River - Watershed

Watershed

The watershed covers about 445 square miles (1,150 km2), mostly in Van Buren County, and also drains a tiny portion of Kalamazoo County.

Tributaries of the main branch include:

• Sand Creek and Blue Creek in Benton Township
• Ryno Drain in Coloma
• Mill Creek near Watervliet
• Paw Paw Lake and Little Paw Paw Lake (in Berrien County) near Watervliet
• Pine Creek between Hartford and Watervliet
• Mud Lake Drain between Hartford and Watervliet
• Hog Creek near Hartford
• Brush Creek near Lawrence
• Carter Creek between Paw Paw and Lawrence

North branch tributaries include:

• Brandywine Creek
• Hayden Creek
• Ritter Creek
• Todd Drain
• Campbell Creek

The north branch headwaters arise in springs near the Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery.

South branch tributaries include:

• The east branch is about 8.5 miles (14 km) long and arises from two main sources: Paw Paw Lake (in Kalamazoo County) and Mattawan Creek in the village of Mattawan. It joins the South Branch in the city of Paw Paw.
• Three Mile Lake Drain, south of Paw Paw
• Eagle Lake Drain, south of Paw Paw
• Lawton Drain, east of Lawton

The south branch headwaters arise in Decatur Township in eastern Van Buren County.