[4] Archaeological surveying of the area surrounding Nada Lake shows evidence that it was occupied by indigenous groups by at least 12,000 B.C.E..

The lakes are within the traditional territory of the Wenatchi People, one of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and within the ceded lands of the Yakama Nation.

The Wenatchi people were relocated, following the Treaty of 1855, to the Yakama and Colville Reservations while the local population became comprised then of Chinese immigrant prospecting as gold miners and Euro-American settlers working in the timber and agriculture industries.

The Department of Public Lands approved this request in an order that allowed the irrigation district to inundate lakeshores on the lake.

[3]: 6, 11  The hatchery serves as mitigation for fish losses resulting from the construction of Grand Coulee Dam and the creation of the Columbia Basin Project.

[1]: 3 [5]: 10  The year-round water supply to the hatchery ensures current production goals of 1.2 million fish annually.