Some features of emergency leaks from oil trunk pipelines in winter, when there is snow cover, are considered. The increase in the intensity of accidents and the scale of oil spills in the Northern regions are of concern to both the public and scientists, who are increasingly calling what is happening an environmental disaster. According to various estimates, the rivers of Western and Eastern Siberia annually carry 0.7 to 2 million tons of oil into the sea, and lists of rivers where MPC of pollutants are several times higher than permissible. The same applies to large rivers in their lower reaches, there was a sharp decline in valuable species of fish in their places of historical mass habitat. In rivers and streams that feed them oil products fall primarily with floodwater and sewage. According to the normative documents, the localization (limitation) of the oil slick in winter is carried out by compacting snow, and the first stage of reclamation of oil-contaminated territories (mechanical) involves plowing and harrowing, i.e. the beginning of restoration work is possible after thawing of the soil. This leads to the fact that after the snow melts, the remaining oil after the collection together with flood waters rushes into streams, rivers and other reservoirs. The remaining oil on the surface of the day or seeps into the soil, or after plowing is filtered into the ground with rain and melt water, polluting groundwater. It is established that oil-contaminated mosses and lichens die, vegetation cover with meadow grasses is restored in more than 15-20 years. Therefore, studies that make it possible to realistically assess the consequences of accidental oil spills and to compensate for the damage caused to nature are important and relevant. The proposed method of estimating the amount of spilled oil in winter is based only on the results of a survey of the contaminated area and does not concern either the causes of the accident or the parameters determining the formation of an oil slick, which may be inaccessible or distorted for certain purposes.