It think you get them from a tractor seat or toilet seat, can't remember.......

It's TPWD job to try and do something about the spread to the waters in our state.
Chances are they would never admit that it will not work, but they have to appear to be doing something. If they didn't do a thing how would that look to the public? Everyone would be looking for a rope and a tall tree.
Do what they ask and just pray for the best!

Should I have been draining and drying my kayak all this time?

The only boats that would make any kind of impact would be a wake board boat with a huge balast bag.

The couple drops of water out of a livewell, if there were any actually in there would not be enough to start of a population.

now flooded rivers on the other hand lol...

I think at best they will only slow the infestation down but there is no way to stop it. I figure in 10 to 20 years there won't be a body of water in the lower 48 that won't be contaminated.........

Nature does what it will. We MAY be able to delay it slightly in our perception of time but only nature can ultimately deal with the issue.
I know the zebra muscles have adverse affects on some indigenous species but isn't that the way natural selection works?
I'm seeing complex issues around budget increases to battle the little invaders as well as revenue stream generation in fines. I think everyone knows it's only a delaying attempt until an effective control method can be developed.
Reminds me of global warming where the Britts have established an entire industry around trading "carbon emission credits" but on a smaller scale.
Think about it.
How can we profit from this?

From a biology stand point there is no such thing as "invasive species" there are only those that thrive and those that don't.

We can slow down , and try to fight the inevitable but not stop it. Species on this planet have been fighting for dominance for thousands of years, we can't control it. If you are gonna get zebra's stock some goby;s...

seems to work for the great lakes?? They were polluted cesspools until the zebras came along, now they are bass factories..

tpwd fell prey to the hand wringing and panty waists by "doing something" i would be willing to bet that there was a financial reason behind some of the regulations that had little/nothing to do with the z-mussel.

if livingston was mussel free before, they certainly aren't any more. is there any chance the baseless and asinine dry boat regs will be removed once the mussel is endemic?

First...weren't we at one time, going to stop, slow the spread of, or contain....fire ants?

Nothing TP&WD has done will stop, slow the spread of, or contain, zebra mussels. It does however, do those things to anybody that would impinge upon the kingdom they have built here in Texas. A lot of the rules and regulations overseen by TPWD are more about control than about actual resource protection.

Now don't get me wrong, TPWD does a very good job with what they got to work with, for the most part. There are some things they just need to not be involved in other than as an advisory capacity.

Like the fire ant, zebra mussels will ultimately be contained by environmental parameters, its too hot in a large part of the state for them to spread or become much of a presence beyond where they are now. Things like this flood will help spread them into areas suitable for them, but just because they temporarily invade an area does not mean they will become a dominant species there. These facts should not give any governmental agency control over our lives, whether that be at work, home or play.

That very question (slightly different context) was asked of a TPWD representative in a meeting of the Texas Aquaculture Association last February in Fredericksburg. Believe you me, if you think fishermen have a lot of rules, try being a fish farmer...Quoted best as I can from memory....

Question asked by a long time Texas fish producer, "Once the inevitable spread of the zebra mussel has occurred, as has been the case with the tilapia, as with tilapia, will these odiferous regulations continue to be in effect beyond that point in time?"

Answer given by high ranking TP&WD official, "Yes."