Loretta, beautiful setting!!

You metioned that you do not want the pond to overflow. You also said that the pond dried nicely after being drained.

If your pond drained, and if you don't pump water into your pond to fill it, your pond is entirely dependant on runoff (the watershed) to fill. If you had a ground water source for the pond, it would have never dried, but re-filled once pumps were shut off. Putting a berm around it will prevent water from entering and give you an empty hole. I'd like to know how the contractor that says the pond will fill with berms built thinks the water will get in there---he is simply wrong (or will build a low spot for inflow).

As for overflow, without a ground water source to flush the pond, overflow is essential for a quality pond to flush out waste and other natural "pollutants".

Those spruces are beautiful, but should not have been placed on the dam (current berm) as the roots will eventually die and rot which will lead to severe leakage in the pond. Behind the dam may not look as nice, but would be far safer.

The aerator boil I see will quickly decay any of the leaf litter entering your pond so it is more of a non-issue as far as water quality is concerned. The compost debris is a little different. Could a small berm" ditch be built to channel any runoff from the compost away from the pond? Perhaps a very small ditch and a relocation of the compost would work.