The usage amount of organic pesticides has increased significantly with the development of agriculture,forestry,animal husbandry and aquaculture in China.The increasing level of organic pesticide contaminations to natural waters has posed a potential adverse effect to aquatic ecosystem and human health.The mechanisms,advantages and disadvantages of detection methods for organic pesticides in water,including pretreatment methods and detection methods,are summarized in this paper,and the development trends for these methods are prospected.Results of review and comparative analysis show that gas chromatography and liquid chromatography are the most effective methods for detection of organic pesticide residues in water.This paper provides an important reference for the detection of organic pesticides in water.