In Alabama, the possibility of reversing a spring is great. Be sure to check this out.
My NRCS agent was helpful it terms of spending a couple of hours with me looking over the site and discussing how it should be done. But when it came to actually doing anything to help, he said he couldn't. And he didn't. He said that unless the pond was for agriculture or food crop, he couldn't offer any more than his best wishes. Growing fish does not qualify. Nice guy, though.
My 2c worth is to find a good grading company who knows what they are doing, and ask their opinion about what is the best pond for your property. Then I would build it that way. Unless the NRCS is going to offer you $$$, which they won't because you aren't in Iowa.
You might also consider hiring a civil engineer for $2-5k. It would be a good investment.
