This week’s episode takes viewers through Colorado Politics’ latest series “River Towns,” which dives into the connection between the towns and the rivers running beside them, and the policies they birth.

Legislative reporter Pat Poblete talks to senior reporter Joey Bunch, who came up with the idea for the series because “people come for the water, and they stay for something else, and that story is told in towns all across the state.”

“Every town has its own relationship with the water,” Bunch said.

The state is in “serious peril” when it comes to water because of population growth and climate change, Bunch said. “That’s something we’ve got to think about because that’s going to change lives.”

“We’ve fanned out around the state and talked to the people who live in these towns about their past, present and future relationships with water,” he said.

So far, Colorado Politics readers have seen pieces on Estes Park (by Bunch) and Alamosa, and Saturday readers can dive into Pueblo.

Poblete teases his upcoming River Town piece on Fort Collins, which highlights a “20-some year battle” about moving water to Front Range communities that are starved for water.

“You have these communities in Fort Collins that are really trying to figure out what life will be like without the river,” Poblete said. “We see that across the board, but it’s even more stark in Fort Collins because it could be happening a lot sooner.”

Read about the River Towns that Colorado Politics has followed so far this summer below:

Meanwhile, reporter Ernest Luning sums up the latest in Colorado fundraising totals from the second quarter, including two politicians who have broken records in raising sums during an off year. 

Read about the latest in fundraising below:

 To see previous episodes, click here.