Almond growers’ relentless drive to reduce water use predating the current severe drought is paying big dividends.The National Agricultural Statistics Service is projecting a record 2.05 billion pounds of almonds will be harvested this year in California. It that pans out, the harvest will surpass the current high benchmark of 2.03 billion pounds in 2011.Growers statewide have reduced the water needed to grow a pound of almonds by a third since 1994. Almond growers west of Ripon and south of Manteca in South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s Division 9 with its nationally acclaimed pressurized water delivery system has slashed water use in almond orchards by at least an additional 25 percent over statewide levels.