My $0.02 -- get someone who is used to working with ponds, but make sure they have an engineer on staff or easily contracted out. They might be able to make the case to the city that it is their problem due to drainage flow they designed to go onto your property.

Check out https://pondmedics.com/our-services/

You need a Jim Featherston. If he can’t do anything, he’ll know who can. A fellow fisherman
Let me know and I’ll dig up his info. Texas Outdoors Landscape Contractors.

Appreciate the comment Bullfrog. I read this thread with interest. There is going to be some heavy equipment involved, no doubt.

My first step would be go to the city/county, whomever, and record all of your conversations in some manner so you have backup if and when you decide to do any work.

Also, I can't imagine you being able to do any good work unless the pond was empty.

The overflow would have to be reinforced and the best way I can think of doing that would be with rip rap. Probably 8-12" rip rap. Then you can pour flow fill (concrete without the rock/gravel) over the top and reinforce the rip rap. That might be the way I would know to approach it.

Does the pond hold water at all, or only for a short period of time after it rains?

I'm not sure how it would work in small town America, but that is a huge red flag to me that says the city is involved in this and that it is some type of drainage/detention easement. Is your lot platted? Do you have a copy of the plat? Did you have a title commitment when you bought it? I'm sure it has been a long time ago, but cities typically do not do things like that unless its and easement, detention,.... or its a small town and you bought the house from the old mayor etc. lol

Hope the best for you.

Is that a turtle by the blue flag? --- Yes.

Lots of really pro type advice coming in and I really appreciate it. Between normal life stuff going on and chasing down some of yalls suggestions Im pretty covered up. Ive tentatively got a heavy equipment man that deals with ponds to come by at some point. Im also contacting the City once again. Keep the ideas coming. Many thanks.

The dam on my pond is at least 30 feet wide. I might work if you simply widened your dam and put a wooden bulkhead on your downhill side. Maybe plant water irises on the wet side. Won't hurt anything but your pocketbook.

https://youtu.be/zyK_xUzBugs

Maybe an overflo like this video

Can't quite see all the topology from the pics, but my guess is that this was originally put in as a bypass-fill type pond,
and the bypass has silted-up/raised over the years to equal the dam height, causing the overflow.
Easy fix to re-dig the bypass out, and then repair the damn.
No 'overfill' tube/ spillway needed with this type of pond, but you do have to have the right topology to have one.

I can spend hours watching that guy's videos. It's like free therapy to me.