Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions How long does pond sludge take to dry?

I have about 300 to 400 cubic yards of clayey sludge that we took out of the pond last August. It's piled in my hay field by the pond at average depth of about 2.5 feet. After 11 months it has only dried about a shovel blade deep. Huge weeds and very lush grass grow on top and is difficult to mow due to the roughness of the pile. Will I need to have it moved in multiple lifts over periods of months or in your experience will it eventually dry to the bottom? It's piled on a previously well drained part of the field.

The weeds and grass growing will suck a lot of moisture out. They are helping rather than hindering. They may make it more difficult to move the dirt depending on what equipment you use. If it is where you can burn you could let the grass grow tall and rank and when it dies off this winter burn the area off to make it clear again.

So many variables, hard to say how long it will take to dry.

Too thick of a pile, a long time. Can you spread it out, and drive over it with a tractor to make ruts?

I plan to hire a small dozer to move it to a permanent position on the back slopes of the dam, but may need to have them move a foot or so off the top, then come back in a few months and repeat. I don't have a tractor or heavy equipment. The hay field is cut by a neighbor. His tractors are only set up for haying, and are old 2wd models, so cant ask him to blade it.