Rhineland municipality welcomes a provincial review of legislation governing Manitoba's water resources.

Provincial officials were able to add some details to the initiative at the municipal officials seminar in Brandon earlier this month.

Reeve Don Wiebe said the province is planning to amend the Water Protection Act

"That review includes watershed management and corresponding changes with respect to conservation districts, and would also impact the whole drainage licensing process."

One of the ongoing issues that rural municipalities are constantly wrestling with the province on is the maintenance of provincial drains. Those drains are a provincial responsibility, but too many times they are in poor condition and not able to adequately deal with spring runoff or significant rain events.

"The importance of maintaining provincial drains is a big concern for Rhineland and is a key element, in our estimation, of watershed management," said Wiebe.

The reeve is optimistic the review will also identify the need for improved timelines for processing licenses for tile or surface drainage.