The team of US Vice President JD Vance had the Army Corps of Engineers take the unusual step of changing the water level of a lake in Ohio to accommodate a recent boat trip during a family vacation, The Guardian reported.

The request from the US Secret Service was made to "assist in the safe navigation" of the US vice president's security detail during an August outing on the Little Miami River, according to a statement from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Vance was spotted in southwestern Ohio on August 2, his 41st birthday, according to social media posts noting that he was seen canoeing on the river, a tributary of Lake Caesar Creek.

A source familiar with the matter said the request was not only to support the vice president's Secret Service security detail, but also to create "ideal conditions for kayaking."

The news raises questions about whether Vance's office used public infrastructure resources for personal entertainment at a time when the Trump administration cut billions of dollars from foreign aid, scientific research, and government jobs as part of its "efficiency" campaign.

Publicly available data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows a sudden rise in the river level and a corresponding drop in the lake level in the first days of August, when Vance was on vacation. | BGNES