A message to the Ritzville City Council and chamber of commerce

To the Editor:

The town of Ritzville has been experiencing steady population declines for the past several decades and, to many observers, it is a mystery. If you make a list of the town’s assets versus its liabilities, the list of assets is overwhelming in number.

However, among the liabilities are two significant problems that will continue to push the town into a steady population slide and eventual extinction… water and sewer. These two issues have a stranglehold around the neck of local business, present and future, and threaten the safety and health of local residents.

A lack of water is...