Abstract: A large number of reservoirs in China face potential risks in their current status. Risk assessment and reinforcement of these reservoirs have been carried out nationwide step by step. Searching for theoretical approaches to reinforce the risk reservoirs has become an important subject at present. On the basis of reviewing existing literature, the current research on the risk reservoir reinforcement can be categorized into two aspects: the theoretical analysis approach and the reinforcement measures. Research advances in the former include the risk assessment, the safety evaluation, structural analysis methods, and the quantitative study of reservoir reinforcement. Considering the special status of risk reservoirs in China, future research should focus on the risk assessment, the safety evaluation, structural analysis methods, and the quantitative study of reinforcement measures for high risk reservoirs.