What is a discharge?
Article 12 of the Navigation Law, the legislation which applies to Oil Spill Prevention, Control, and Compensation, defines a discharge as: any intentional or unintentional action or omission resulting in the releasing, spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying or dumping of petroleum into the waters of the state or onto lands from which it might flow or drain into said waters, or into waters outside the jurisdiction of the state when damage may result to the lands, waters or natural resources within the jurisdiction of the state; The terms “release”, “spill” and “leak” are commonly used in an interchangeable manner on this website, DEC documents, and by program staff to refer to discharges.
