Mayor Andrew Lara joined other city leaders in dedicating a new water treatment facility in Pico Rivera on Monday, calling the $15 million Groundwater Treatment Project a milestone decades in the making. “This sends a message to our residents that we will put their health and well-being first and foremost,” Lara said. “This underscores Pico Rivera’s obligation to safeguard water quality for future generations and prioritize our community’s well-being through strategic investment and inter-agency collaboration.” The new treatment plant is part of the city’s 2020 Water Master Plan, launched in response to state mandates on drinking water. City staff and the City Council spent years working to safeguard the health of the community after industrial pollution contaminated many of the region’s groundwater aquifers, Lara said.