West Union, a town of about 2,500 in northeast Iowa, has spent more than $10 million to make its downtown area more energy-efficient and less prone to flooding, but the effort to go green has been slow to lure business investment, the Corridor Business Journal reported, citing the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. The Gazette reports West Union is seeing more visitors in the six years since it replaced downtown pavement with permeable pavers, installed 18,000 square feet of planted surfaces to control stormwater runoff, and installed a districtwide geothermal system. However, only a fraction of the businesses that could use the geothermal system tapped into it, just a handful of new businesses have opened, the permeable pavers keep breaking, and the plantings have not been as well-maintained as some residents would like. One of the best things about the project was getting national attention for the community, the Waterloo Courier reported, and federal and state grants limited the amount local residents had to spend.