From workforce development and education initiatives to economic development and environmental stewardship, Entergy Arkansas invests in communities across the state through a variety of grant programs designed to improve quality of life for customers and communities.
One of those programs is the Environmental Initiative Fund. The specialized grant program focuses on projects that protect natural resources and promote environmental stewardship throughout the state.
“EIF grants go to nonprofits and organizations within our communities that provide a variety of services to their communities whether that’s environmental efforts or education around conservation,” said Kendall Thornton, stakeholder engagement coordinator for Entergy Arkansas.
Recently those funds helped equip the Lake Hamilton Fire Department with specialized equipment to protect local waterways and respond to emergencies on Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine.
“We had several incidents, prior to receiving the grant, where there were oil spills or fuel spills on the lake that nobody had the equipment to take care of,” said Doug Davey, Lake Hamilton Fire Department Chief.
The department received approximately $160,000 through the grant program to purchase a response boat, dive equipment and hazardous materials cleanup equipment designed to help crews respond to accidents, recover submerged boats and contain fuel or oil spills before they spread through the lakes.
Thornton said supporting the Lake Hamilton Fire Department aligned perfectly with the mission of the Environmental Initiative Fund because of the department’s responsibility for responding to emergencies on the lakes created by Entergy’s hydroelectric system.
“These lakes exist because of Remmel and Carpenter dams and the Lake Hamilton Fire Department is the responding agency to these lakes, so it was incredibly important for us to support them because we work so closely with them in maintaining these lakes,” Thornton said.
The new equipment was recently put to the test during a training exercise that simulated vessel recovery, dive operations and hazardous materials spill response. Firefighters used the response boat and dive gear to practice recovering a vessel from the water.
Chief Davey said the training is critical to improve response time when an accident does happen.
“Since we received the grant, we’ve been on the lake diving three to four times in the last year,” Davey said. “We had several boat wrecks, several boat fires and we had several sinking vessels.”
According to Entergy Arkansas Lakes Manager Blake Hogue, those capabilities help protect the lakes and strengthen a partnership that benefits the entire community.
“You’re going to have boats burn, islands burn and docks burn where you need an agency like the Lake Hamilton Fire Department to respond to those calls,” Hogue said. “They need the tools to do those jobs well.”
For Entergy Arkansas, protecting the lakes is an important part of preserving one of the state’s most valuable natural resources.
“We all live in these communities, so we want to have clean air, clean water and we want to be able to enjoy these beautiful lakes,” Thornton said. “This is one of the many reasons it was important that we fund this initiative.”
As communities across Arkansas continue to grow, Entergy Arkansas remains committed to supporting organizations that address local needs while protecting the state’s environment. Through programs like EIF, those investments are helping ensure Arkansas’s lakes remain safe and accessible for the next generation.
“It’s meaningful that we are able to provide such a beautiful landscape for people to enjoy for years to come,” Thornton said. “Supporting projects like this helps communities protect the natural resources that make Arkansas special.”
The Environmental Initiative Fund is part of Entergy’s ongoing commitment to supporting communities and protecting the environment. To learn more about the program and other environmental stewardship efforts, visit Entergy Environmental Stewardship.
