#Mushrooms help remove #sewage and #EColi from Devon rivers

2 June 2026

"Mushrooms could be used to filter out harmful waste and sewage in rivers, after a trial showed a certain fungi can destroy a type of bacteria that is a risk to human health.

"The fungi, called turkey tail mushroom, was used in part of a river in Devon and managed to filter out 80% of E. coli bacteria during the trial.

"E. coli is a type of bacteria which can be harmless and shows up in the intestines of healthy people. But certain types of E. coli can really harmful - causing vomiting, fever and severe health problems.

"During the trial, bags of turkey tail mushrooms were stacked across a riverbed, filtering water through their roots, which are called mycelia.
"The mycelia acted like a sponge, catching the E. coli bacteria to prevent it going into the river.

"Water industry regulator Ofwat has given Anglian Water £1.5 million to use fungi to clean up rivers because the trial worked so well.

"In another trial in Lincolnshire, a similar barricade caught 83% of phosphorus and 35% of nitrogen from rainwater running off farmers' fields.

"Farmers spread these chemicals as fertilisers, but when they wash into watercourses they can cause thick algae to form, starving fish of oxygen."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/ckgp58lp7xdo

#SolarPunkSunday #WaterIsLife #NaturalSolutions #Pollution #Runoff

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