Grand Coulee filled by pumps from the Grand Coulee Dam and forms the first leg of a irrigation system. Canals, siphons, and more dams are used throughout the Columbia Basin, supplying over of farm land. Water has turned the Upper Coulee and surrounding region into a haven for wildlife, including bald eagles. Recreation is a side benefit and includes several lakes, mineral springs, hunting and fishing, and water sports of all kinds. Sun Lakes and Steamboat Rock state parks are both found in the Grand Coulee. However, the lake has also flooded a large area of natural habitat and native hunting grounds,
Grand Coulee Dam residents were relocated. The Anti-Speculation Act was passed in 1937, limiting the amount of land farmers could own to prevent inflated prices. The government appraised the land and offered to purchase it from the affected residents. Many refused to accept the offers, and Reclamation filed condemnation suits. Members of the Colville Confederated and Spokane tribes who had settlements within the reservoir zone were also resettled. The Acquisition of Indian Lands for Grand Coulee Dam Act of , 1940, allowed the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land on the Colville and Spokane Reservations, eventually accounting for . By 1942, all