The scapegoating of almonds is popular disinfo at least in California. It's part of the water wars. I'm pretty sure it's promoted by the meat industry and other nefarious characters. I've heard it many times.
Some background and debunking:
- https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/04/16/399958203/how-almonds-became-a-scapegoat-for-californias-drought
- https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/13j8c86/nyt_oped_piece_pushes_false_narrative_of_almonds/
- https://www.agroinvestspain.com/debunking-a-myth-almond-water-footprint/
- https://farmtogether.com/learn/blog/dispelling-miconceptions-about-almonds-water-use