Abstract: An aqueduct is a controlling structure in water diversion engineering, which can possibly be damaged during earthquakes, triggering interruptions in the supply of water. Although numerous aqueducts have been built and operated, research on aqueduct earthquake resistance is not sufficient, and simplified seismic design methods for aqueducts are not unified. Based on fluid-structure interaction dynamics and response spectra analysis, a simplified formula was proposed to calculate the transverse seismic response of aqueducts. The obtained result was compared with the results derived using nonlinear finite element time-history response calculation of fluid-structure interaction. It is concluded that the simplified method proposed in this paper can quickly calculate the transverse seismic response of aqueducts. Additionally, the results not only can effectively reflect the damping effect of the water sloshing acting on aqueduct structure, but also matched well with the numerical analysis results.