Large volumes of oil sands process-material (OSPM) are generated as a result of mining and extraction of bitumen in Alberta's oil sands region. This paper addressed the challenge of using OSPM to create wetlands. These materials have the potential to strongly affect the rate and type of aquatic faunal and floral colonization. The quality of the substrate in wetlands may be poor due to physical or chemical characteristics. It is best to construct wetlands that promote optimal sedimentation because of the potential chronic effects of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). Nutrient addition is one approach for optimal sedimentation that may quickly confine potentially toxic OSPM used as an initial substrate. This study examined the influence of nutrient addition on plankton and periphyton production. It also investigated the impact of maximum sedimentation on invertebrate and macrophyte colonization. Mesocosms were set up at three different reclamation sites along a gradient of naphthenic acid concentration in the water in order to examine the effects of nutrient addition. Naphthenic acids occur naturally in oil sands and are toxic to aquatic organisms. For each site, mesocosms were lined with mature fine tailings, reclamation soil and sand. Nutrients were added to the mesocosms to create oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic conditions for each water treatment. Planktonic and periphytic production and sedimentation were then examined