Abstract: The advanced experience of the environmental risk source monitoring techniques in foreign and domestic countries was summarized, and the characteristics of China’s environmental risk source monitoring techniques analyzed. It was pointed out that compared with the developed countries, there existed many problems in the environmental risk source monitoring techniques in China. The basic information of environmental risk sources was not clear, the monitoring indicators could not meet the environmental management needs and the monitoring and management mode of environmental risk sources was relatively backward. Based on the user requirement analysis, the design principles of the environmental risk source monitoring technique system were put forward, i.e. the principles of supreme, reliability, integrity and economic interest. According to the technical line of information process of “data acquisition, transmission, processing and application”, the environmental risk source monitoring technique system was constructed from five aspects, i.e. the monitoring scheme design, the monitoring equipment technology, the monitoring data acquisition and transmission, the monitoring network structure, and the monitoring management system, etc. Finally, the environmental risk source monitoring techniques were applied and demonstrated in Minhang District of Shanghai, Gaoqiao Petrochemical Area of Shanghai and Zhangjiakou City.