One thing to note for others, Pond design and cost sharing programs are not a current priority for the NRCS today. Back in the late 90's there was a big push as part of the original farm bill which drives the NRCS activity to build ponds. I believe that some members of this site benefited from this program.

What happened though was in the mid 2000's the NRCS realized that developers were getting ponds designed and cost share money only to turn around and then convert the property to a development. This greed was recognized by the government and pond's design and construction was removed from most of the NRCS programs by the late 2000's.

So if you walk into the NRCS office and say I need help to build a pond you will probably not get a good reception.

I would recommend first establishing a relationship with the NRCS and starting small with one of the programs that they have in place such as

1.) EQIP
2.) CSP,

Once you have a relationship and perform accordingly to thier contract requirements, the local offices in most cases will go out of their way to help on other items where possible.

2.5 Acre Pond
Status: Design