We assessed zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) distribution and density in four newly infested manmade reservoirs in the upper Neosho River Basin, Kansas, from March–November 2011. Density was estimated via monthly plankton samples to monitor veligers, visual searches to detect recruited zebra mussels, and colonization substrates to monitor settling zebra mussels. Infested impoundments upstream were likely the source of zebra mussels dispersing into downstream impoundments in the basin. Marion Reservoir had greater veliger densities downlake than in its upper region while veliger densities in the other three reservoirs were not significantly different among lake regions. Veliger and adult densities were less in the outlet downstream from Marion Reservoir than in the downlake portion of the reservoir. Differences among reservoirs could reflect differences in time since infestation as well as variability in temperature and local physicochemical factors.