Dozens of surgeries at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre are being deferred after four operating rooms were flooded Tuesday.

Alberta Health Services said 11 surgeries were postponed Tuesday and 28 Wednesday.

The flooding was related to construction taking place on the second floor, said Alberta Health spokesperson Kerry Bales.

The water flooded into the second-floor atrium just before noon hour and down onto the first floor, he said.

Alberta Health spokesperson Kerry Bales said it's not known when the operating rooms will be back on line.

"We're hoping that we will have two of them up and running probably within a week," he said. "The other two we are still evaluating to see how much the damage was and whether or not they will be serviceable sooner or more work will have to be done later."

The hospital is prioritizing patients, scheduling those with serious and life-threatening conditions first and deferring elective and other surgeries, Bales said.

"We are working to make sure that we are getting those people rebooked as soon as possible."

The hospital has five other operating rooms which are functioning normally.