Thedford, I am near you, in St Louis. There is indeed far more "to it" than damming up a ravine in this area and that may explain why there are no references. A good dozer operator could be closely supervised and shown what "needs" to be done. Your local NRCS agent probably has knowledge of who the best "pond builders" in the area are and even though the agents are not allowed to endorse or recommend anyone, they can often be asked whom THEY would use to build a pond for their own property.