A $1.5 million project aimed at improving Portage’s sanitary sewer system officially kicked off Monday during a groundbreaking ceremony on Central Avenue and Swanson Road.

The City of Portage says the purpose of the project is to reduce excess flow into the wastewater system due to inflow and infiltration and to reduce the risk of sanitary sewer overflow events adjacent to wetland areas.

The project will run from Stone Avenue in the south to Central Avenue in the north.

According to the City of Portage, the cost of the project is $1,532,076, for which the city received $1,437,500 in federal funding.

The city’s cost is $470,833, a 25 percent match.