In the past, the Coldwater River has been referred to as the Okalopasaw, Copasaw, or Cold Water River. The one-word name "Coldwater" was officially settled upon in 1891.
From Arkabutla Lake the Coldwater River takes a mostly southerly course, flowing roughly parallel to the nearby Mississippi River, as the Coldwater forms the boundary between Tate and Tunica counties, and then passes through Quitman County to its confluence with the Tallahatchie River south of the town of Marks.
At Savage, the river averages a flow of 1,368 cubic feet per second.[2]