Unique spring conditions have created a busy season for the Rhineland Municipality public works department, says Reeve Don Wiebe.

"This spring was quite different, with very little snow and little rain and strong winds, and as a result a number of ditches were filled with blow dirt," he said, adding that now the municipality is back to its regular maintenance schedule.

The municipality has also been in communication with the province to upgrade provincial drains. This includes completing work on the Rempel and St. Joseph drain, the South Buffalo, the aux Marais, and the crossing at the Rosenheim drain.

In addition, spring's dry conditions produced a high demand for the municipality's dust control program.

"We're up by about 150 per cent. This also led to questions regarding costs and whether the dust control program should be a municipal service. Council has taken this under advisement and we're also doing research to see whether new methods or better methods of dust control are available," Wiebe said.

He noted that next week municipal road gravel distribution will begin.