WEST RICHLAND -- A past problem is cropping up again: a West Richland yard doubling as an illegal dump.

Back in 2006, more than 30 people complained about acres of compost piles that caught on fire.

At the time, it was illegal.

County code enforcement cracked down on the compost piles two years ago, forcing her the clean up her yard or be fined.

So what's happened since?

Tuesday, Benton County Health Department officials said they are going to re-investigate the yard.

The owner's name is Joanne Ryan.

Action news found out, her case is still open with the Clean Air Authority, Benton County Code Enforcement and the Benton County Health District.

Health District reps said its because Ryan's been on their radar for years: getting caught, cleaning up then, then piling on the debris in her yard.

This time around, the owner is still running an illegal operation.

"They are back...and they're with a vengeance," next door neighbor Courtney Lauman said.

Piles of trees, sticks, stumps and hay litter the lot.

County authorities said Ryan lets landscapers dump debris into her yard for free, hundreds of feet long, dozens of feet wide and just as high.

But the county's got strict rules on dumping.

"I hate it," Lauman said. "I mean, this is an okay neighborhood and that just makes it look really, really bad."

Ryan was supposed to clean up her act two years ago when a fire ripped through the yard, billowing tons of toxic smoke.

"People have been disturbed in the past about the composting," another next door neighbor Karen Cole said.

That's when the Health District and Clean Air authority stepped in.

They caught her without a permit and slapped Ryan with a $5,450 fine: $450 from the Clean Air Authority and $5,000 in firefighter fees.

She didn't pay, it was sent to collections, and she was forced to clean up her yard.

Ryan fought it all the way to court.

"That makes me really frustrated, I mean, if it's illegal and no one's doing anything about it," Lauman said.

"It's still coming so I'm sure, I feel, there must have been litigation gone on and it's been settled and must be all right," Cole said.

But two years later, the trash is still here.

And the Health Department, Clean Air Authority, and County Code Enforcement all confirmed: Ryan still doesn't have a permit for the piles.

But the trees don't lie.

"I'd like to see it all cleared out, maybe put some grass back in there, make it presentable," Lauman said.

Action News did talk to a couple neighbors who didn't necessarily have a problem with Ryan's compost piles.

They said they liked the idea that Ryan uses the compost to go green.

Ryan also has animals like cows and goats around the compost heap.

It turns out, if she does not have a permit for the animals to be in the yard, that's illegal too.

Action News also tried talking to Joanne Ryan herself. We knocked on her door, but no one answered.