The Ford Trout Hatchery (FTH), operated by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), is one of four aquaculture facilities forming the Lake Roosevelt Hatcheries Program (LRHP), provided to partially mitigate for the loss of anadromous and resident fish due to the construction of Columbia River mainstem dams. Associated LRHP projects include Sherman Creek Hatchery (SCH), also operated by the WDFW, the Spokane Tribal Hatchery operated by the Spokane Tribe of Indians (STI), and the Lake Roosevelt Volunteer Net Pens operated by the Lake Roosevelt Development Association (LRDA).  The Ford Trout Hatchery is located at the eastern edge of the Spokane Indian Reservation, on the upper unit of the Chamokane Valley Aquifer system. The effluent flows into Chamokane Creek, a tributary of the Spokane River. The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) constructed the hatchery in 1941 and WDFW manages the operations and maintenance. This project is funded by BPA under directives by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s (NPPC) Columbia River Basin Fish & Wildlife Program and Resident Fish Substitution Measures, 1987 to present (Upper Columbia Subbasin Plan), as partial mitigation for anadromous and resident fish losses in the blocked areas above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams. Artificial (hatchery) production has been determined a feasible method for sustaining viable fisheries in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake. WDFW, STI, Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT) and the LRVNP Project are cooperating in a comprehensive program to produce kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and triploid rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) for annual releases into the project area.
The Lake Roosevelt Hatcheries Coordination Team (LRHCT), a group comprised of staff from the fisheries co-managers (STI, CCT, and WDFW), utilizes recommendations from the Lake Roosevelt Data Collection Program (LRDC) and the Banks Lake Fishery Evaluation Project (BLFE), the projects tasked with monitoring and evaluating performance of LRHP releases.  Decisions are made in collaboration with the BLFE Program and in accordance with strategies outlined in the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Guidance Document (LRGD), a living document developed by co-managers with a logic path to adapt to new circumstances and connect the various Lake Roosevelt fisheries projects goals for fisheries protection, restoration, and enhancement.
The intent of this project is to continue working with the other components of the LRHCT to provide readily accessible sport and Tribal subsistence fisheries that are compatible with, and beneficial to, the ecological conditions in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake (Grand Coulee Dam impoundments). Since the inception of the project, kokanee recruitment to the fishery has not met expectations. WDFW has decided to abandon kokanee stocking and stock triploid rainbow trout to enhance the recreational fisheries in Banks Lake. As of 2021, the LRHP will terminate kokanee production and add more emphasis to production of triploid rainbow trout suited to meet mitigation goals and objectives.