Dowagiac River
| Dowagiac River | |
| stream | |
 The Dowagiac River in Pokagon Township
|
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Michigan |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Dowagiac Creek, Peavine Creek (Dowagiac River), Pokagon Creek, McKinzie Creek |
| - right | Osborn Creek, Silver Creek |
| Cities | Dowagiac, Niles |
| Source | Confluence of Dowagiac Drain and Lake of the Woods Drain |
| - location | Berrien County, Michigan |
| - elevation | 745 ft (227 m) |
| - coordinates | 42°04′39″N 086°01′23″W / 42.07750°N 86.02306°W |
| Mouth | St. Joseph River |
| - elevation | 636 ft (194 m) |
| - coordinates | 41°50′43″N 086°15′58″W / 41.84528°N 86.26611°WCoordinates: 41°50′43″N 086°15′58″W / 41.84528°N 86.26611°W |
The Dowagiac River is a southwesterly flowing 30.9-mile-long (49.7 km) stream in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is tributary to the St. Joseph River which flows, in turn, into eastern Lake Michigan.
The Dowagiac River is unusual in southern Michigan, being similar in temperature and flow to northern trout streams such as the Au Sable River. High groundwater contributions along much of the Dowagiac River’s length provide cold temperatures and steady base flow throughout the summer season. In July river temperatures range in the middle 60's which is ideal for non-native brown trout (Salmo trutta). There are three dams in the watershed: Lower Mill Pond Dam on Dowagiac Creek upstream from the city of Dowagiac, Barron Lake Road Dam on McKinzie Creek, and Pucker Street Dam - the only dam on the Dowagiac River mainstem and located 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream from the confluence with the St. Joseph River.
The Pucker Street Dam is an impassable barrier to the upstream migration of non-native steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon (Oncorhychus kisutch), brown trout, and native smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), white suckers (Catostomus commersonii)), and walleye (Sander vitreus) to more than 159 miles (256 km) of Dowagiac River and its tributaries. The dam was ordered repaired or removed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for safety reasons in 2013. In fact, the St. Joseph River Watershed Fish Migration Barrier Inventory in 2011 ranked the Pucker Street Dam as the highest priority dam for removal in the entire St. Joseph River watershed for conservation and restoration purposes.
The Dowagiac River watershed drains 287 square miles (740 km2). The Dowagiac River mainstem is formed by the confluence of the Dowagiac Drain and the Lake of the Woods Drain near the southern edge of Hamilton Township, becoming the Dowagiac River before entering Wayne Township in Cass County.
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Wikipedia