The Coldwater River is a 19.4-mile-long (31.2 km) stream in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in western Michigan, the river is a part of the Grand River drainage basin.
The Coldwater River flows through Barry and Kent counties, and the drainage basin also includes a large portion of southwest Ionia County and a tiny portion of Sunfield Township in the northwest corner of Eaton County.
The Coldwater is formed from the Little Thornapple River in Carlton Township in Barry County. It flows northerly for a few miles and then flows mostly west until emptying into the Thornapple River in southern Caledonia Township at 42°46′29″N 85°27′38″W.
Major tributaries (from the mouth):
Clarke and Bunker Drain (draining a complex of small lakes in Bowne TownshipTyler Creek (AKA Bear Creek), rises from the confluence of Pratt Lake Creek and Bear Creek in eastern Bowne TownshipWalton Drain, rises in western Campbell Township in Ionia CountyBond Drain, rises in western Campbell Township in Ionia CountyPratt Lake Drain, rises from the outflow of Pratt Lake in southeast Lowell TownshipKilgus Branch, rises in southeast Lowell TownshipBear Creek, rises in southern Boston Township, just north of the village of ClarksvillePeddler Lake Drain, rises from the outflow of Peddler Lake in Campbell TownshipDuck Creek, rises in northeast Odessa Township in Ionia CountyGeieger Drain, rises in northeast Irving Township, just west of the village of Freeport, in Barry CountyStecklee Drain, a small drain on the east side of FreeportBullhead Drain, rises in eastern Irving Township, south of FreeportBird Drain, rises in western Carlton Township in Barry CountyMesser Brook, rises in southwest Odessa Township, just northwest of the village of Lake OdessaKart Creek, rises in eastern Campbell TownshipDrainage from Lower Lake in south central Carlton TownshipLittle Thornapple River, rises from the outflow of Jordan LakeMallson Ditch/Drain, rising in northeast Carlton TownshipWoodland Creek, rises near the village of Woodland in Woodland TownshipJordan Lake, on the boundary between Barry and Ionia countiesTupper Lake, in Odessa Township, Ionia CountyTupper Creek, rises in western Sebewa Township in Ionia County
