The Clinton River is a river in southeastern Michigan in the United States.The main branch of the river rises from wetlands in Springfield Township, Oakland County, northwest of Pontiac. A series of dams create a number of small lakes west of Pontiac, the last of which is Crystal Lake. The river is piped under downtown Pontiac, re-emerging to the east of downtown. The north branch and the middle branch rise in northern Macomb County and join the main branch in Charter Township of Clinton, which was named after the river. The main branch flows from its headwaters to Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township, Michigan.The Clinton River watershed drains, including most of Macomb County, a large portion of Oakland County and small portions of Lapeer County and St. Clair County. More than 1.4 million people in over 60 municipalities live in the watershed. For the most part, only the waters located downstream of the city of Mount Clemens are navigable by industrial water vessels.
