The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment near Orangeville and Caledon East to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga.
It drains an area of approximately 1,000 km². The total length of the river and its tributary streams is over 1,500 km. The average daily flow of the Credit River is 690,000 cubic meters.
Despite urbanization and associated problems with water quality on the lower section of this river, it provides spawning areas for Chinook salmon and rainbow trout. There is a fish ladder on the river at Streetsville. Much of the river can still be travelled by canoe or kayak.
The headwaters of the Credit River is home to a native self-sustaining brook trout population and an introduced brown trout population.
Credit Valley Conservation, the local watershed management conservation authority, operates eleven conservation areas along the river’s corridor, including Belfountain, Island Lake, Terra Cotta, Meadowvale, and Rattray Marsh.
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park is located on the upper part of the river between B-Town and Orangeville, and is near the Bruce Trail.
Communities in the river’s watershed include: the City of Brampton, the City of Mississauga, Township of Amaranth, Town of Caledon, Township of East Garafraxa, Town of Halton Hills, Town of Mono, and the Town of Orangeville.
