Constructing depth one laminations transverse to pseudo-Anosov flows

Given a pseudo-Anosov flow $\phi$ on a closed atoroidal $3$--manifold $M$ and a closed surface $S$ almost transverse to $\phi$, we give a homological characterization of when $S$ can be completed to an almost transverse depth one lamination or foliation whose set of compact leaves is $S$. As a consequence, we show that the cone of classes in $H^1(M\backslash \!\! \backslash S)$ that are positive on the closed orbits of $\phi$, when nonempty, is an entire foliation cone of $M\backslash \!\! \backslash S$.