Water resources of the Pine River Basin, southeastern Michigan

The land surface of the Pine River basin, an area of 194 square miles, is a relatively flat or gently undulating northwest to southeast trending glacial lake plain.

The plain is interrupted by small streams and by a series of former glacial lake beaches. Other irregularities are the morainal hills in the headwaters and the morainal areas that form a large part of the basin divide. Altitudes range from 850 feet above mean sea level in the northwest corner of the basin to 578 feet at the mouth of the Pine river.

Drainage is not well developed in the basin. Many stream courses are poorly defined, having cut only from 3 to 10 feet below the adjacent plain. For this reason, ditches and drains are necessary to effectively drain parts of the basin. There are a few small scattered ponds, but no lakes within the basin.