Cleaner water starts before the filter.
MycoEco is a practical field guide for using mycelium beds to slow runoff, reduce organic contamination, and support safer downstream water treatment.
This does not make water safe to drink by itself.
Mycelium filtration is one layer in a safer water system. Always boil, disinfect, filter through verified means (UV, ceramic, chlorination, etc.), or follow trusted local guidance before drinking.
What a mycelium bed actually does
A mycelium bed is a living pre-filter made from wood chips, straw, sand, gravel, and fungi. As dirty water moves slowly through the bed, solids settle, fungi break down organic matter, and the water becomes easier to treat safely afterward.
Mycelium can help reduce organic load, trap some bacteria, slow runoff, support beneficial microbes, and improve downstream treatment effectiveness. It is one layer in a safer water system, not a complete potable-water solution.
Five steps to a safer water flow
- Slow the water. Faster water carries more soil, waste, and bacteria. Use a small berm, trench, or shallow pond to give it a moment to rest.
- Catch solids. Let sand and gravel pull out grit and floating debris before the bed.
- Feed the fungi. Wood chips colonized with mushroom spawn (e.g. oyster, wine cap) digest organic matter as water passes through.
- Let plants stabilize. Reeds, grasses, and ground cover downstream root the soil and pull up remaining nutrients.
- Treat before drinking. Boil, disinfect, UV, or filter to a verified standard. Do not skip this step.
How water moves through the system
Each layer reduces the load on the next. The final step — boiling, disinfection, UV, ceramic, or other verified treatment — is non-negotiable for drinking water.
Where to go next
Field Guide
Materials, build steps, and maintenance for a basic mycelium bed.
Designs
Three patterns: household runoff, community drainage, fungi + wetland buffer.