The invention discloses a water intake system in a tailings pond and a water intake method. The water intake system in the tailings pond includes ramps, a self-priming water pump, a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, the ramps include ramps, from the first stage to the Nth stage, built on the bank slope of a dam section of the tailings pond or on the bank slope in the pond stage by stage with the rise of the water level of an upper layer clarified water body in the tailings pond, the ramps from the first stage to the Nth stage are distributed from low to high, and N is greater than or equal to 1; the self-priming water pump gradually moves from the top of the first-stage ramp to the top of the Nth-stage ramp stage by stage as the water level of the upper layer clarified water body in the tailings pond rises; one end of the water inlet pipe is connected with the self-priming water pump, and the other end of the water inlet pipe extends into the upper layer clarified water body inthe tailings pond; one end of the water outlet pipe is connected with the self-priming water pump, and the other end of the water outlet pipe extends to the outer side of the tailings pond. The waterintake system in the tailings pond has the advantages of low capital cost, simple operation and maintenance, and few risks.