The financial reach of the Barnett Shale touches all facets of life in the region, generating a $5 billion local economic impact and more than 55,000 jobs.

Pipeline workers find jobs digging miles of trenches. Homeowners collect royalty checks from leases. And cities build new roads and sidewalks with money earned from dril­ling under parks.

And because drilling in the natural gas field is still growing at a breakneck pace, such economic growth is expected to continue for years, according to an economist who has studied the activity.

“This has come out of nowhere within the last five years,” said Ray Perryman, who conducted a study of the Barnett Shale’s economic impact for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. “And we’re not at the peak of this economic activity.”

Perryman released his 140-page report at a day-long Barnett Shale symposium at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Wednesday.

The event drew thousands of people, some from more than an hour away. The effort was the first in the area to assemble energy companies, speakers and more than 120 exhibitors, who recruited for jobs, educated the public on mineral rights and environmental issues and answered questions.

It also drew Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief, who said that while the city is reaping benefits from the money for the gas wells, more should be done to inform residents about drilling and mineral rights leasing. He also said the city may do more in the future to address noise and safety concerns.

The Barnett Shale, which spans more than 20 counties, is among the top onshore gas fields in the country, containing an estimated 26 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Perryman’s report is the first comprehensive study of the monetary benefits of Barnett Shale drilling. He estimates that shale activity will continue to generate an average of 108,000 jobs and $10.4 billion in output each year through 2015.

All that activity comes from gas drilling, exploration and development, pipeline construction, royalties and other payments as well as personal income from jobs and increased tax receipts generated by retail, property, hotel-motel occupancy taxes and local permits and fees.

The gas field also boosts the tax base. In Tarrant County, for example, the value of mineral rights, mainly for gas from the Barnett Shale, has nearly doubled in each of the last two years.

Jeb and Angela Burns came to Wednesday’s symposium from rural McLennan County near Waco to learn more about gas leasing and drilling.

They said they’ve been watching the issue for three years. They routinely turn to chat groups on the Internet to find others who are navigating gas leases and other issues.

While many of their neighbors have signed mineral rights leases, the couple has held out because they have more questions and want to get a good price before they allow anyone to drill under their 120 acres.

“The minerals aren’t going anywhere,” Jeb Burns said.

The industry’s recent move from drilling on large swaths of rural land to operating near the city center has created new challenges for drilling operators and residents.

Called urban leasing, the process involves seeking permission from sometimes thousands of homeowners for one drilling site. The process has touched off a fierce competition in many of Fort Worth’s densely populated and historic neighborhoods.

Such intense interest in drilling has also caused Moncrief to pay particular attention. He said Wednesday that Fort Worth currently has 750 permitted gas wells.

He told a luncheon crowd of 1,200 that he plans to launch a special hotline that residents can call for information, and he wants to create a formal coalition of gas drilling operators to educate residents on an ongoing basis.

“There is a deep knowledge divide between residents and the drilling companies,” Moncrief said. “Doing business here means mutual trust. And that trust can be breached.”

State-of-the-art drilling technology makes it easier than ever to drill under established neighborhoods. Operators are staking out well sites up to a mile away and drilling horizontally underground to reach the gas under homes.

Perryman acknowledged Wednesday that the Barnett Shale is unique because much of the drilling is occurring under established areas.

No real economic impact can take place without some “tradeoffs,” he said. He listed environmental concerns, drilling noise and increased water use and truck traffic among the issues.

Jeff Wojahn, executive vice president and president of drilling operator EnCana USA, said his company has held educational events in other states where it drills. He said he and EnCana work to be a good neighbor and respect the areas where they’re drilling.

“We leave a footprint, and our job is to minimize that footprint,” he said. “It’s a culture of what we do.”

Residents throughout Fort Worth have hired attorneys, banded together with other neighborhood associations and pleaded with city officials to help address their concerns about potential drilling near established neighborhoods.

Moncrief said the City Council updated its gas-drilling ordinance last year and would likely consider additional restrictions in the future to address noise, drilling hours and “protecting the vitality of neighborhoods.”

In the meantime, he said, the city would look for ways to responsibly spend the millions of dollars it has earned from leases on city-owned property.

Throughout the region, cities, school districts, the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and even country clubs are earning money from mineral rights leases.

Perryman cautioned entities to use the money wisely, creating endowments or putting the money into parks or road improvements.

“You have to see it as a one-time windfall,” he said. “If you spend it right, the legacy can last for decades.”

Moncrief said Fort Worth has formed a committee to pursue a possible gas revenue endowment with its earnings.

 “Any city would give its eye teeth to find itself where Fort Worth is today,” Moncrief said. “But this opportunity won’t be around forever. We need to make the most of it.”