An estimated 18 billion gallons of produced water has been diverted into some 880 unlined open pits , causing severe contamination of streams and rivers relied on by local inhabitants for their drinking water , bathing and fishing . Moreover , 650,000 barrels of crude oil have been spilled directly in the jungles and pathways . The produced water contained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at levels many times higher than permitted in the US , where produced water was typically re-injected underground since at least the 1970s . Given the magnitude of the contamination and its lasting impact many environmentalists claim it is the worst oil-related disaster in the world , the amount of crude and toxic waste dumped by Texaco allegedly being 30 times the one spilled in the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Lago Agrio oil field