Abstract: With rapid urbanization, population growth and rapid economic development, the Taihu Lake basin is confronted with the coexistence of flood disaster, water shortage and water environment deterioration. Water resources have become a main factor constraining the sustainable development of regional socio-economic environment conditions. Based on the flood control engineering system and river network, the flood operation ways should be improved and the flood, water supply and water environment regulation should be integrated, which is vital for enhancing the comprehensive management of water resources. Based on the analysis of the flood characteristics, the authors of this paper identified the annual flood period using both the basin areal precipitation and water level of the Taihu Lake. Also, the flood rising and falling processes were analyzed from the aspect of the water balance in the basin， then the essence of the flood resources utilization in the Taihu Lake basin was illustrated. Finally, the constraining conditions for the flood resources utilization considering the flood control, water supply and water environment safety were stated. These analyses have provided a theoretical basis for the flood resources utilization assessment and flood regulation modification in the Taihu Lake basin in the future.