2023 Making a Splash along the Clinton River Water Trail

The Clinton River flows through communities, forests, and wetlands, offering paddlers a diverse range of landscapes to explore. From nearly still waters to Class II-III rapids, the Clinton provides something for all skill levels, making it a paddling desitination for beginners and seasoned adventurers alike.

The Clinton is subject to large rises and falls in water levels, which has the potential to quickly lead to dangerous situations. The lower section of the river, from Auburn Hills to the outlet into Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township, is the most urbanized section of the river that is drastically affected by stormwater runoff. This section is also the most technical due to a 300-foot change in gradient. While information on general paddling safety and best practices for those on the water exists, new and inexperienced paddlers may not know where to access that information.

This year, CRWC worked with communities to install 15 new safety signs at popular paddle launch points in the lower half of the Water Trail. The large 40 by 30-inch signs are incredibly visible and feature safety information, examples of safety markers to look for along the river, what to do in case of an emergency, and instructions for accessing an interactive online map. The signs were also translated into both Spanish and Arabic, the two languages spoken most in the watershed after English.

CRWC continues to work to increase the visibility of the Clinton River Water Trail and ensure the safety of all those who set out on the water. CRWC produced additional launch signs and 200 new safety markers that will be installed along the river in 2024.

Author(s): Cole Pachucki, Jeffery Schiffman