The fluctuation of the water level of the Three Gorges ship lift is influenced by the peak shaving of the power station，the discharge of the ship lock and other factors，and the change is very complicated，and the water level variability at the head of the lower sluice can reach 0.9 m/h.During the operation of the Three Gorges ship lift，the shutdown failure caused by water level fluctuation accounts for about 29%，which often affects the operation safety of the ship lift.In this paper，the influence of water level fluctuation on ship lift operation is studied by collecting and analyzing the fault data of ship lift operation and shutdown.Suggestions on water level monitoring are put forward from four stages，including the early stage of operation docking，the docking period between the chamber and lock head，the opening period of the chamber，and the period of chamber connecting channel.The trend of water level should be predicted in advance in the sensitive links that are easily affected by water level fluctuation，the law of water level fluctuation should be mastered，and the corresponding measures are taken timely to avoid shutdown failure of the Three Gorges ship lift.