That's what I did. After pumping out all but watery sludge, the backhoe was set up on one corner of the pond, near where the sludge would be piled, and he dug a big hole. After removing all the trees/bushes from the banks, the dozer started pushing sludge from the edge into the hole, working toward the center. The backhoe, with large bucket, began dipping out the sludge from the hole and dropping it over the bank. When the pile got big, the dozer would come out and push it away. Repeated until done, then it looked like a new pond. I have about 300 to 400 cubic yards of sludge and clay from the clean out still drying after nine months. The sludge initially looked like wet concrete. But, we may have cleaned out too deep, because the pond is losing about 7/8 inch of water most days, and I have to pump from an intermittent creek to keep water in it. Hoping it will eventually seal.