ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand

Okay, so let's start with talking about what oxygen is. You know how we need air to breathe and stay alive? Well, air is mostly made up of a gas called oxygen. It's what gives us energy and lets us move our muscles and do all the things we need to do.

Now, let's talk about carbon. Carbon is a very important element that is found in lots and lots of things around us. It's in the air, it's in the ground, it's in the food we eat, and even in our bodies.

When we talk about "biochemical oxygen demand," we're talking about how much oxygen is used up by living things in a certain amount of water. You see, just like we need oxygen to breathe, fish and other aquatic animals need it too. When there's not enough oxygen in the water for them to breathe, they can get sick or even die.

So, when we add "carbonaceous" to the mix, it means we're talking about how much oxygen is used up by living things in the water that comes from things like plant material, human waste, or other organic matter.

So, to sum it up: Carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand is a fancy way of saying how much oxygen is being used up by living things in the water that comes from organic matter like plants and waste. It's important because we need to make sure there's enough oxygen for fish and other aquatic animals to breathe.