The colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (CGIA) was applied in rapid detection of herbicide prometryn in water samples.Colloidal gold particles were prepared via trisodium citrate method. The CGIA conditions were optimized for high sensitivity. the detection limit of CGIA was 5 ng/mL and the detection process could be completed within 5 min. The river water samples were detected directly by the strip and the limit of detection was 5 ng/mL. The developed immunoassay in this study was a suitable tool for rapid screening residue of prometryn in water samples.