Abstract: Small and medium-sized reservoirs in China, numerous and widely distributed, play a vital role in our lives. However, it should be recognized that in addition to providing economic, social, and ecological benefits, they can also be a source of risk to the downstream areas with dam failure potentially resulting in unacceptable loss of lives and damage to properties. This paper compares the guidelines for dam classification and selection of inflow design flood in the United States, and points out that the flood control standards for small and medium-sized reservoirs are relatively low in the relevant design specifications in China, which is not suitable for the current level of economic and social development in China. Then, the necessity and feasibility of raising the flood control standards of small and medium-sized reservoirs with high potential hazard are analyzed and demonstrated, and the suggestions to enhance the flood control ability of small and medium-sized reservoirs with high potential hazard are put forward.