Calcium hypochlorite is a common chemical used to sanitize and bleach water. It has a longer shelf life and releases a higher percentage of chlorine into solution (65-70%) than liquid bleach. This water-soluble chemical is available in granular form.

It is commonly used to make household cleaners, weed killers, disinfectant sprays. Paper mills, tanneries, and textile mills also use calcium hypochlorite to treat their wastewater.

Hypochlorite solutions release chlorine into solution which somehow deactivates micro-organism functions in water bodies. Dosage rates are dependent on the amount of micro organisms in the water body as well as the level of bleaching that needs to be attained.